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u/Ddreigiau 24d ago
Height should be the way horses are measured (but fuck those units). Measure from the ground to the top of the shoulder when standing.
IMO length should be nose to tailtip, when stretched out, aka spine+skull length
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u/vikingzx 24d ago
Measure from the ground to the top of the shoulder when standing.
This is indeed the measurement used for my writing in the Axtara series.
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u/Dodgeorram24 23d ago
That makes the size a lot clearer. And bigger than I thought. Also, if you are Max, I love your story and the elements so much!! Many things (eg, steam engines) that I'm writing about in my dragon world.
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u/vikingzx 23d ago
And bigger than I thought.
You should check the website for the post that went up today. And thank you!
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u/ChanglingBlake 24d ago
You’ve still missed it.
Clearly we’re talking about a dragon with 20 feet.
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u/Aggravating_Art_3632 24d ago
... That would be a LOOONG dragon
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u/Ferro_Giconi 23d ago
Maybe they are extending in a circle around the torso instead of being 10 pairs of legs in length.
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u/TheseAccident9645 19d ago
On my world chart of 'documented' Dragons, one has 8 feet. But I've never seen anything any where else about that one.
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u/Dependent-Swing-5492 Blitz the Wyvern of theatrics and whimsy 21d ago
Dude save some legs for the rest of us >:(
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u/Imperial_Advocate Warden of r/dragondom 24d ago
I always imagined it as "from snout to tail" when measuring a dragon's length, while height is from a dragon's front claws to horns.
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u/Dodgeorram24 24d ago
I go by shoulder height, which I think is a common way to measure mammals (which are generally, if not always, erect-postured creatures). My dragons usually stand between 24-18" at the shoulder.
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u/Erikfassett 24d ago
For both height and length, I've always imagined the dragon standing in a neutral, facing forward position, then measuring from floor to top of head (ignoring horns) for height and from tip of snout to tip of tail for length.
In-universe, for actual record keeping the people would likely use up to shoulder height as a standard height measurement since that would be more consistent. Likewise, standard length would likely be length of spine plus length of skull, which would be longer than my measurement since it stretches out the neck (though this would only be rarely measured). However, I don't use the in-universe measurements when describing my characters out of universe because for one I'm less certain on those (I'm not 100% sure on the proportions my dragons have). And, when imagining the actual presence a dragon holds in a scene, it's much easier to imagine the height going directly to their head rather than having to extrapolate from their shoulder height.
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u/TheOnlyRen 23d ago
My derg’s quad ref just has a little stick figure guy standing next to his leg, who measures 6 feet tall.
People can figure out the rest from there.
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u/Bliitzthefox 24d ago
Everyone knows that dragons are one dragon length.
Which is equal to two tail lengths.
One wingspan is two dragon lengths
Then there's talon lengths which are about one hand.
All assuming the western unit system, eastern is different
And roarlongs which are the distance a roar travels and can be heard which is about 1km
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u/drgn2009 Vysha 24d ago
I guess for me it can depends on why im measuring so I usually go with something like 20-feet tall, 45-feet long, 125-foot wingspan, or whatever I want measured.
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u/Aggravating_Art_3632 24d ago
From the floor, to the tips of the horns attop it's head, stood a dragon 20 feet tall.
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u/xeros1269 24d ago
Depends on context but generally I assume their height at the shoulder, if they are explained to have a human eye level then I assume length
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u/MagentaSpace 24d ago
The way I measured my sona is how I've heard folks measure gators birds and Horses. Nose to tail-Gator To shoulder height-Horses. From wing tip to wing tip-Birds
I had ref sheet made for my sona recently to make it more quadrepetic like if it was part of a game I play so had to figure out it's measurements.
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u/erroneum 23d ago
The standard way to measure the height of a quadripedal creature is when they stand at their typical stance, measured from ground to shoulder of the front leg. If you're measuring length, that sounds more like how you'd measure a fish: full length, maximally laid out.
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u/Interesting_Sea_1861 Corpse-Coat Dragon Vaal Hazak 23d ago
Doesn't matter as long as you clarify and are consistent.
Meanwhile, Monster Hunter: "Yes, that dragon is 2598.30"
"Uh... 2598.30 WHAT, Capcom."
"2598.30 size."
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u/jastro5 24d ago
If they have a long neck (most dragons do), then shoulder height is gonna make them seem small. By measuring to the head, then what happens when they crouch or rear up?
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u/Ddreigiau 24d ago
If you measure to the head, what happens when they choose to extend their neck upward from a natural resting curve? What if two dragons have different resting postures? What if they put their nose in the air? It's just too posture dependent, and I can't see that posture from a short size description.
A noodle derg with a "20ft head height" is wildly different in size from a short-necked western derg with a "20ft head height".
Using at-the-shoulder height is, at least, consistent for describing size. Add in length and you have most of the info you need for various postures, though that posture can usually be described other ways.
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u/jastro5 23d ago
And some dragons just have short forelegs, or they're a wyvern so they don't have shoulders
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u/Ddreigiau 23d ago
Wyverns have shoulders, what are you on about? Where do you think their wing-arms connect to their torso?
As for short forelegs, they won't be too much short than the hindlegs, and it still won't be posture-dependent
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u/jastro5 23d ago
Oh right, wyverns do have those... I was picturing the shoulder on a european dragon, but the loss of those legs != loss of shoulders. Dang it, brain
For me the shoulder height for dragons is a bit strange anyway since they're not like horses; their neck and tail are much longer, so it doesn't capture how tall they are in a neutral pose. Like giraffes, they wouldn't be the tallest terrestrial animals if they were measured to their shoulders
Dragons are pretty amazing how one measurement can mean so many things since there's no universal standard
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u/dragonofyang 23d ago
Height should be ground to top of shoulder like livestock, 100%. The head height varies (raised vs lowered) and won’t be useful for gauging height. 20ft at the shoulder is a firm measurement. That said, in real life length is measured differently for different purposes. A head-and-body length would be nose to butt, but total length is nose to tailtip. Sorta depends on why you need that measurement. And then you can play with things like height to length ratios and be somewhat consistent while having variety in bodies.
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u/VulpesIncendium 23d ago
Or maybe we're dealing with a non-Euclidean dragon, where somehow all of these measurements are correct at the same time!
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u/BubblesTheRaven 23d ago
Nah, it's just a non-euclidean dragon that truly is 20 feet in every dimension, no matter how you measure it
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u/PuppyLover2208 23d ago
No no, it’s an eastern dragon. They’re measured in length by how many limbs they have. 10 pairs=20 foot.
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u/Objective-Switch8920 23d ago edited 23d ago
I separate them into categories.
Ie:
Base of neck to base of tail: 9ft
Base of neck to head (body length): 8ft
Base of tail to end of tail: 9ft
Standing height (feet to base of neck): 6ft
Total height at minimum and maximum: 6-14ft
Overall length: 26ft (8+9+9)
Hope this helps with your own measurements :)
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u/ICollectSouls 23d ago
When measuring animals it's common to measure height at the shoulders when standing upright. It's the one part that doesn't move as much as the rest of the creature.
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u/Pasnonix 23d ago
How many burgers is that?
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u/F1resharkcat dracatshark *(aether dragon, hellshark, panther hybrid)* 23d ago
probably at least 10
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u/AmonNonza Dragons but with SCIENCE 23d ago
Please credit the original artist. They make a lot of xkcd-style dragon theme comic strips
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u/Wise-Key-3442 Not a dragon 23d ago
What if it's a 20 ft tall dragon, but said dragon has no legs? Would you measure the height of the thickness?
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u/Mrslinkydragon 23d ago
i say Slink is about 2m at the shoulder. Then i break down his measurements thusly: 3m for his body, 10m for his tail, 3m for his neck and his wingspan is 20m
Ideally, you should measure to the shoulder, just like a horse or dog :)
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u/mohammed_mc 23d ago
From feet to shoulders for height/tall.
And from snout to tail for length/long
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u/Time_of_dragons 23d ago edited 23d ago
I measure length from tip of the snout to the tip of the tail and heights from tips of the horns/frills and other similar additions while in neutral position with dragon facing forward. That gives you two of of three dimentions of hypothetical box to comfortably fit the dragon in, very helpful for building houses and transport. Also make sense to compare dragons with other creatures while they are talking a nap or standing in a house, or answering on a question whether and how much a creature from another sapient species should tilt their head to maintain eye contact.
Measurements of height to the shoulder make more sence when you are dealing with a non-sapient creature that you are supposed to ride or command to jump over something in competitions much more than actually having a conversation with it.
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u/Cocoatrice Rawr 23d ago
If it says tall, it means tall. Not long. And usually stuff like horns are not measured in animals, as far as I know.
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u/BornFox1094 Temeraire 23d ago
I'd argue shoulder height and nose-to-tail length should be specified.
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u/Connect-Journalist81 23d ago
Personally I like to consider a dragon's height to be to the top of its head but not counting frills/spikes/horns if not otherwise specified, although I also almost as often use shoulder/back height but simply consider head height the default of the two, and when it isn't specified whether it's height, length or whatever, I'm extremely split between head height and length following the curve of the back/if the dragon where to stretch out or lay flat on the ground, and measuring all the way from tip of the snout to end of the tail, but lean more towards length if there's truly nothing in the context that could inform me.
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u/panzerkampfwagon-IV 23d ago
I find a set of three measurements gives the best picture. paw to shoulder (Height), snout to tail when laid out flat (Length), then wingspan (Wingspan)
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u/Dragon_Crisis_Core 23d ago
Height usually measured at the shoulder to the ground when fully erect.
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u/penguinscience101 23d ago
I feel like for height they should be measured in hands like horses are.
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u/Fragrant-Job-3200 23d ago
The most common way to measure quadrupedal animals is from the feet to the base of the neck, which doesn't appear in the image.
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u/xxLosingMyMarblesxx 23d ago
Or you could just cut out the middle man and say that the dragon is made of feet.
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u/SnowyKuda 21d ago
When talking about creatures' heights, especially the average quadrupedal creatures, it is generally done from floor to shoulder. Reason being that the head of such creature is much more variable in height than standing shoulder height. They can go from straight line neck to the S shape. Unlike humans who cannot just make themselves 100% horizontal.
Otherwise yeah,, failing to specify what is being measured is problematic if it ever becomes important
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u/H3xRun3 24d ago
Strap them to a towel and measure from tip of the nose to the tip of the tail.