Thunderdrum

"Thunderdrum. This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools. When startled, the Thunderdrum will produce a concussive sound wave that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight."

- Hiccup as he reads through the Dragon Manual.

The Thunderdrum is a large, Tidal Class dragon that is as comfortable in and around water as it is on land. It is noted for possessing great power and a sonic blast for its breath attack, and is regarded as one of the most powerful dragons living. A Thunderdrum named Thornado was owned by Stoick the Vast, chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe.

Appearance
This dragon relies mostly on its two sets of wings, one primary and one smaller set to the rear, using them to get around and move through the water like a tornado.

These dragons have stubby legs and long, skinny tails. It also has a series of backward facing spikes sticking out of its back. The Thunderdrum's body resembles several marine megafaunas such as a basking shark, a whale shark, a manta ray, or a baleen whale. Its head somewhat resembles that of an angler fish. Several other dragons share similar head shapes such as the Skrill and the Flightmare. In Riders of Berk, this dragon is just bigger than Stoick (excluding the tail), but in the How to Train Your Dragon 2, it is much bigger (if you look at these Thunderdrums from the side, the mouth are the same length as Toothless' entire body, including his tail).

Size
According to the Dragon Manual, a Thunderdrum is roughly the same size as an adult Viking, though they are clearly far larger. All Thunderdrums seen in adaptations before How to Train Your Dragon 2 are not much larger than medium or large sized dragons, though their tails are very long. Baby Thunderdrums grow only up to 11 inches tall.

In How to Train Your Dragon 2, much larger Thunderdrums are seen. These Thunderdrums are longer than Blue Whales and their wingspan is long enough for Toothless to fly under one that was jumping out of the water. The maximum size for these dragons is unknown.

Behavior and Training
They form pods in hunt or on migration, and take care of each other and can be compassionate, and these features are similar to those of cetaceans. The Scauldrons also share at least the first of these traits (most of seen specimens had not been calm at times), and both of them are whale-like dragon kinds. This dragon is reclusive in nature, living in sea caves and dark tide pools or even in open waters.

Understandably, they are strident and assertive, the loud Thunderdrum always makes its feelings known!

Adolescents shows to be mischievous to Vikings and dragons as they can be very annoying to them. As babies shows that they will follow any other adult of their kind.

Thunderdrums are so stubborn that they can be tough to be trained. Thunderdrums show a real soft side to any adolescents even if it's not their own. As they care for them a lot if they are in trouble, it can be used as a advantage to training.

Training a Thunderdrum, especially as an adult is a challenge as Thunderdrums have a hard of hearing, being nearly deaf. Showing protection and gaining the Thunderdrum's trust is a easier way to train it, as seen by Stoick and Thornado. Adolescents also don't listen. It is easier to train one from birth or have an adult to help. However, adults can be very protective of their young, regardless of their offsprings' ill-behavior, as seen with Thornado when trying to watch over Bing, Bam, and Boom.

According to Hiccup in Race To the Edge, Thunderdrums have a habit of holding grudges against their enemies.

Abilities
It is also said that when a Thunderdrum hatches from its egg, it makes a sound so loud it rattles the sky.

Baby Thunderdrums have the strength to be able to drag two young Vikings on its tail with no sign of struggle.

As hatchlings, their thunder roar is powerful enough to send heavy Vikings to the air and can destroy some large objects such as Hiccup's invention, the Thunder Ear.

Like nearly all dragons in the Manual, they are classified "extremely dangerous, kill on sight." Thunderdrums are experts in sound producing, and have many of unique abilities related to sound waves.

See also Fire Types.

The name comes from its main mode of attack/defense. Instead of breathing fire, the Thunderdrum produces a strong concussive sound that can kill a human at close range. It is not only capable of temporally stunning other dragons, but also can even extinguish flames shot by other dragons. The blast is so powerful that the creature is said to "get its power from Thor himself." Only the Screaming Death has a tolerance with this attack (capable to stun it temporally). By combining roars by several individuals, the roars are able to knock away several large dragons at mid-distance and instantly and literally blow them off.

Thunderdrums can also shoot blue blasts of fire that get bigger the farther they go. Those fire blasts also travel at the speed of sound. However, it takes a lot of energy to use, so they tend not to use it.

They are also considered to be one of the most omnipotent and powerful of all dragons in terms of orbit. These marine dragons are capable of flattening their bodies by expelling oxygen from lungs for a limited period of time, and enhance underwater mobility from to skim on water surfaces to dive deeper for feeding. They are also able to fly at high altitudes.

In order to protect themselves from their own sound emissions, the Thunderdrums developed a system to offset sonic blasts by regulating wave frequencies of blasts to neutralize others' roars. This modulating also prevents sounds from damaging surroundings ("rendering it into a rather calming wave of white noise!"). Because of this, Thunderdrums are nearly deaf. An advantage for being nearly deaf includes immunity to the Death Song's song, which makes Thunderdrums easily avoidable to be caught by the Death Song.

Thunderdrums are one of the most powerful dragons, as was confirmed by both Hiccup and Stoick. Thunderdrums have been seen defeating wild dragons, pull two ships at the time with the added weight of Stoick the Vast, defeating a whole herd of wild boars and a wild specimen has even been seen destroying a whole sea stack.

Their endurance and stamina are very well as shown by Thorndo for his kind able to take attacks from Stoick and still fly in great speed.

They also have been shown to be quite flexible, as Thornado managed to grab Stoick with his prehensile tail able to pulled him underwater and slapped away several wild boars in battle. With their short skinny legs their able to run.

Titan Wing
Source: Dragons: Rise of Berk

Titan Thunderdrums are larger than adults ones. They have three main colours on their body-Blue, Turquoise and Purple. Their wings have these three colours and many white specks. They have developed a large talon on the edge of their wings. Their body is mainly blue in colour. These titans possess lots of sharp teeth and a long ledge, with its nostrils, on the top of its snout. Their second set of wings is larger and they have a row of spines along their tail and spikes all over their back.

How to Train Your Dragon
The Thunderdrum is one of the dragons Hiccup reads about in the Dragon Manual. Like all dragons, its classified as an extremely dangerous creature that needs to be killed on sight.

In Book of Dragons
The Thunderdrum appears in this exclusive short. It is classified into the Tidal Class in the book. Bork the Bold once found the egg of a Thunderdrum. But he didn't know that Thunderdrum eggs hatch with an explosive sound that rattles the sky, and he found this out the hard way.

Dragons: Riders of Berk
In How to Pick Your Dragon the Thunderdrum was first labeled as a rogue dragon attacking Berk's fishermen out at sea. While Hiccup tries to find Stoick a dragon so he can help his village more effectively, the rogue dragon strikes again. When they arrive on scene, Stoick is satisfied with the beast and requests his son to train it. However, when they bring it back to the academy and put a muzzle on it to keep it from using its roar on This dragon is picked for its ferociousness by Stoick the dragon becomes too stubborn and eventually breaks free.

After finding it, Stoick and Hiccup learn that it was accompanied by Whirlwing, another Thunderdrum that was injured, which is why it attacked the fishermen, so it could get food for its friend. Hiccup leaves to fetch the others while Stoick stays behind with the Thunderdrums, but they are soon ambushed by wild boars. Stoick finally bonds with the dragon and together they defeat the boars.

The same Thunderdrum returns in Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Young Man, but he remains unnamed. He serves as a riding mount for Stoick and Gobber.

In Dragon Flower, Stoick reveals to have named his Thunderdrum, Thornado. His dragon is shown flying his master to the Shivering Shores as there was a meeting with their chief. When Stoick returns, Thornado eventually becomes ill from the Blue Oleander that Mildew planted. By the end of the episode, Thornado is cured with a Scauldron's anti-venom.

In What Flies Beneath, Thornado returns again. He is ridden briefly by Stoick into battle with the Whispering Death. He uses his sonic roar on the enemy dragon, but it has little effect. Before Thornado and the other dragons can close in, Toothless calls them off.

In Defiant One, Thornado is ridden by Stoick to search Hiccup, Toothless and Snotlout after they went missing.

In Breakneck Bog, Thornado is seen ridden by Stoick while searching for Trader Johann in the beginning of the episode.

In Gem of a Different Color, Stoick uses Thornado to frighten and chase a group of Changewings.

In We Are Family Part I, Stoick is seen riding Thornado to first, the Isle of Night, and secondly to Outcast Island.

How to Train Your Dragon 2
A herd of gigantic Thunderdrums were seen in the movie.

Dragons: Wild Skies


In Dreamworks Dragons: Wild Skies, the Thunderdrum can be tamed. It lives in Wrecker's Reef, and one must feed it crabs or fish in order to tame it. You will need 10 Gold and buy a Crab Net, then go to Wrecker's Reef, where you then select the crabs. The Thunderdrum is a Tidal Class Dragon, and it screeches instead of breathing fire. When the player rides it, the dragon's mouth is closed. When you press the space bar, it will open its mouth and screech at the target. Other Vikings will say that the player is as strong as Stoick after having tamed it.

School of Dragons
The Thunderdrum is also seen in School of Dragons. Only members can own a Thunderdrum for free in first pick. Stoick's Thunderdrum, Thornado, appears in the quest 'The Sickly Dragon' where Thornado is seen sick and you have to find mint leaves in the wilderness which is made into tea.

Appearances

 * How to Train Your Dragon (film) (Mentioned)
 * Book Of Dragons (Mentioned)
 * Riders Of Berk Commercials
 * How to Pick Your Dragon (First Appearance in Person)
 * Portrait of Hiccup as a Buff Young Man
 * Dragon Flower
 * What Flies Beneath
 * Defiant One
 * Breakneck Bog
 * Gem of a Different Color
 * We Are Family Part I
 * We Are Family Part II
 * Imperfect Harmony
 * Wild Skies (First Game Appearance)
 * How to Train Your Dragon 2
 * Dragons: Rise of Berk

Notable Thunderdrums

 * Baby Thunderdrum/Thunderdrum Egg Bork met (Book of Dragons)
 * Thornado
 * Whirlwing (How to Pick Your Dragon)
 * Wild Thunderdrum (We Are Family Part I)
 * Bing, Bam, and Boom (see Bing! Bam! Boom!)
 * Herd of gigantic Thunderdrums in How to Train Your Dragon 2.
 * Earsplitter & his child (Imperfect Harmony)