The two categories are different:

The dragon is a divine creature, and the dragon is an animal, also known as the hidden earth. Jiao is a water dragon and is considered to control rivers. The dragon is a general name. If there is a specific name, it should be the one rolling in the clouds and responsible for the rain.

The appearance and differences are as follows:

1. The tails are different. The dragon's tail is bare. There is no difference at all from a snake's tail. According to legend, a tiger came to a water pool in Sizhou to drink water. The dragon in the pool (probably one of the fuzzy collection objects of dragons, the crocodile) thought that the tiger had infringed on its territory, so it jumped out of the water to fight with the tiger. As a result, it became thirsty. The tiger was no match for the hungry dragon, so it was "tail-eating", that is, it was knocked unconscious with its tail, wrapped up and devoured. Su Dongpo wrote a poem based on this: "There is a hungry dragon hidden in the scales, and a thirsty tiger is caught by turning its tail."

Dragon picture:

Jiao picture:

2. Claws. The dragon has two pairs of claws, but the dragon has only one pair.

Dragon:

Picture of Jiao:

3. Horns There are no horns on the Jiao head, or only one straight angle. The dragon's horns are straight and short, without branches, unlike dragons. The dragon has two branches.

Dragon picture:

Flood picture:

Dragon full picture:

Dragon full picture:

Extended Information

Jiao generally refers to a scaly dragon in a broad sense that can cause floods. Jiao is a broad type of dragon in ancient Chinese legends that can produce water and is sometimes called a dragon, but it is not a dragon (just like a lion in the feline family is not a cat).

According to legend, when a dragon gets water, it can stir up clouds, create mist, and soar into space. In ancient Chinese literature, it is often used to describe talented people getting opportunities to display their talents. Regarding the origin and shape of the dragon, there are different opinions in classical literature. Some say "a dragon without horns is called a dragon", and some say "a dragon with scales is called a dragon". The third volume of "The Mohist Wields the Rhinoceros" is more specific: the dragon's shape is like a snake, its head is like a tiger, its length can be several feet, and it mostly lives under stone caves in streams and ponds, and its sound is like the croaking of a cow. If the dragon sees a person walking on the bank or in a valley, it will surround it with the fishy saliva in its mouth, causing the person to fall into the water, and then suck its blood under its armpits until the blood is gone. People on shore and people on boats often suffer from it. In "Shi Shuo Xin Yu" written by Liu Yiqing of the Southern Song Dynasty, there is a story about Zhou Chu who went into the water for three days and three nights and killed the dragon and came back.

Reference material: Jiao_Baidu Encyclopedia