Chimera

The mythical Chimera has the body and head of a lion, the tail of a snake, and a fire-breathing goat head on its back. Yeah, its strange. Of course like most mythical creatures the description of the beast differs slightly. It might have dragon like wings or an extra head, but the description usually stays the same. The chimera was very bad luck, even looking at it was a bad omen. In Greek Mythology the creature was usually seen before accidents like shipwrecks and volcano eruptions. In scientific research the term 'chimera' is used to describe an animal that has more than one set of genetic coding. This is because the actual creature is made up of many different animals. The word 'chimera' also used to be used to describe any hybrid monster. It's very interesting that out of all of the hybrid creatures the chimera is the one that has multiple meanings.

Source: http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/chimera-mythology.html
Pictures from: http://www.mycandylove.com/forum/t65700%2C1-lys-libro-secretorum-cs.htm, http://warriorsofmyth.wikia.com/wiki/Chimera

Griffins

A griffin is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. Some griffins are shown with the front legs of an eagle and some have eagle wings. This creature is meant to be very royal, being that the lion is known as the king of the jungle and the eagle known as king of the birds. Griffins are known to be wise and guard treasure. The griffin was known as a protector from evil and witchcraft during the Persian Empire. Some legends describe the griffin to be more like the sphinx, a trickster who challenges people with riddles. Adrienne Mayor, myth and history expert, may have found the origin of the griffin myth. She points out the fossils of the pentaceratops dinosaur. This dinosaur had four legs and a beaked face much like the griffin. The fossils look similar to the griffin's body. These fossils are commonly found near gold veins. This is most likely why griffins are believed to guard and hoard gold. The griffin was commonly used to show strength in war being that the creature represents wisdom and power. This creature is also known to pull the chariot of the Greek sun god Apollo. Apollo was known for his wisdom much like the griffin itself. The griffins roots go from Western Europe to the Eastern edges of India and farther.
                                  
Source: http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/mythology-griffin.html
http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/ancient-origins-legendary-griffin-001693