Jiaolong(蛟龙)

Jiaolong (traditional Chinese: 蛟龍; simplified Chinese: 蛟龙; pinyin: jiāolóng; Wade–Giles: chiao-lung), also known simply as jiao, is a creature from Chinese mythology typically described as a scaled dragon. Some sources depict it as hornless, and it is often associated with rivers or other bodies of water, suggesting an aquatic nature. In some interpretations, it may have referred to a type of crocodile.

Several scholars have suggested that the jiaolong may have originated from non-Sinitic southern cultures. Ancient records describe how the Yue people tattooed their bodies to protect themselves from these formidable creatures.

In English, the term jiao has been translated in various ways, including "jiao-dragon," "crocodile," "flood dragon," "scaly dragon," and even "kraken," reflecting the creature’s complex and shifting identity in myth and folklore.