He is "the dragon" and "the serpent," both titles linking him to his role in the fall of man. He appeared to Eve in the form of a serpent, doubtless in the body of a serpent he had possessed. It is unlikely that a being so pretentious as the devil would choose as his mouthpiece an ordinary snake. Indeed, "serpent" can refer to any reptile. The reptile he deemed a suitable embodiment of himself was "the dragon," an ancient name for the sort of creatures we know as dinosaurs.