While some legendary creatures -- the unicorn, for example -- have real-world "cousins" to reference, many mythical beings don't even follow what we know as the rules of nature (though I would be interested in seeing a mammal with six functioning and naturally-formed appendages).
For those of similar curiosity, my most recent internet searches produced the fantastical work of Masao Kinoshita, a Japanese sculptor. Kinoshita masterfully gives a somewhat exaggerated yet believable form to both mythical creatures and deities.
I suppose that finding solutions to these questions is part of the fun for any artist, but hats off to artists like Masao Kinoshita who render these forms so beautifully.
