The dragon was a reptile of some sort. As a living creature it did eat, but it was not magical. So Daniel came up with another plan. He “took pitch, fat, and hair, and boiled them together and made cakes, which he fed to the dragon. The dragon ate them, and burst open. Then Daniel said, ‘See what you have been worshiping?’” (NRSV, Bel and the Dragon, Verse 27)