The fictional dragon who attacks Dale in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was Smaug.
Smaug is a powerful, intelligent dragon who takes the Lonely Mountain and its treasure from the Dwarves of Erebor. He later destroys the nearby town of Dale and sleeps on the hoard for many years.
Bilbo Baggins enters the mountain with Thorin Oakenshield’s company and speaks with Smaug. During their conversation, Bilbo discovers a bare patch in the dragon’s armor-like underside. The information is later used by Bard the Bowman, who kills Smaug with the Black Arrow.
Smaug is distinct from Tolkien’s other dragons, including Glaurung and Ancalagon, who belong primarily to the older legends of the First Age. His name is connected to an Old English verb meaning “to creep” or “to squeeze through,” rather than being a generic word for any dragon.