Distinguishing leonine monsters: chimeras, lamias, manticores and sphinxes

D&D has introduced a number of leonine monsters which look like they could be related. In my cosmology, this is merely an artifact of the morphic fields underlying spontaneous generation. UPDATED 10/24/2017

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Chimera: in my cosmology, the chimera's component creatures are variable. The traditional dragon-goat-lion chimera is merely the most famous. Indeed, a chimera may include a lamia or manticore aspect.

Lamia: in my cosmology, the lamia's lower body is variable. A lamia may be partly lion, panther, wolf, snake, vulture, goat, dragon or a combination thereof.

Manticore: in my cosmology, the manticore is generally leonine but other features like horns, wings, tails, etc are variable. The sphinxes from earlier editions, where they were portrayed as predators, are folded into manticores.

Sphinx: as explained in the MM, sphinxes are monstrosities celestials tasked to guard a sacred place for eternity. In my cosmology, its head is variable and its lower body may be that of a lion or an ox. The lammasu and shedu from earlier editions are folded into sphinxes.

Expect to hear more about these monsters in future posts.