In the large flightless dragons of Europe
and America, the female lays a small clutch
of three or four eggs, which are about the
size of grapefruits, pure white, and shiny
as pearls. As the young dragon embryo grows
within, the egg gradually turns to a beautiful
golden hue, looking like true gold.
No doubt this is the basis for the
nearly universal belief that dragons
hoard and stand guard over great
treasures of gold and pearls.
Certainly a clutch of eggs would
appear to be a vast treasure to the
average observer, and the anger of a
nesting female dragon at being disturbed
is easily imagined. The incubation period
of the eggs is about three months. When the
young are about to hatch, the female wraps her
body even more closely around the eggs to keep
them warm and safe. Probably the reason that
dragons prefer to lay their eggs in the
craters of dormant volcanoes is that the
craters are often still slightly warm and so
provide a perfect incubator for the eggs.
Otherwise, the dragoness must warm them
with her own body and that of decaying
leafy materials she piles up around the
eggs when she leaves the clutch to feed.
The hatchlings quickly peck their way out
of their shells and can crawl about
immediately. They are simply miniature
versions of the adults, and even at
hatching the males can be easily
recognized by their tiny wing like forelegs.
Their mother, who goes out each night to
gather the food, feeds them insects and
berries. Within a few weeks the hatchlings
begin to follow her outside, usually riding
on her back, and sometimes sliding down her
tail in a playful way. Some hatchlings can
already breathe out small smoke trails.
By the time they are a few months old
they are several feet long and begin to
move around independently. It should be
noted that the male plays very little part
in the care and raising of the brood and
after mating often moves on to look for
other mates. His absence probably helps
to keep the location of the breeding weyr
unknown, and so contributes indirectly to
the breeding success. In any case, the
female is quite able to protect the
dragonlings herself.
Baby earth dragons might easily be
mistaken for large lizards, like the
eyed lizard, which is very common in
some parts of Europe.
Newly hatched dragons measure some sixty
centimeters in length, and their wings,
encased in sacs, look at first glance
like typical lizard markings. The baby
dragon's tail is not ring shaped, and if
caught, he is not able to shed it like
other reptiles. Thanks to his relatively
large size and his tremendous agility, he
is able to elude predators such as foxes,
badgers and birds of prey, which would
otherwise devour him.
At about eight or nine months, he is the
size of a large dog, and is now able to
tackle animals as large and fierce as a
wolf. He hunts and eats foxes and mountain
goats, as well as stray sheep and calves,
but always with moderation to avoid discovery
by humans. This behavior is instinctive in
the young dragon, whose intelligence has not
yet developed. His nocturnal habits, his
caution and his extreme timidity make it very
difficult to observe the young dragon
during this period. When he enters
adolescence, at around the age of two, the father
ceases his vigilance and gradually the young
dragon is left to his own devices.
The adolescent dragon has already
attained a considerable size, which
makes camouflage difficult. At about
this time, his wings may begin to unfold,
and his intelligence becomes more acute as
the proverbial cunning of the species starts
to manifest itself. As his innate knowledge
of Latin develops, he learns.
When the baby dragon is strong enough to
hold on to her father's shoulders, he whisks
her through the air to the dragon court, where
she will live with the rest of the young
females until the Dragon Father considers
her mature enough to mate.
As a result of being protected and raised by
the group, the physical development of the
young female is slower than that of the male
eaen though she reaches maturity more rapidly.
It is not unusual for the young female dragon
to start talking before the wing sacs have
disappeared.br>
Female dragons command great respect and
are treated like queens.Often prouder and
fiercer than males, they are very jealous
of their privileges.By the time the female
dragon is ready or her first mating flight,
she is generally a beautiful adult beast who
has acquired the wisdom of the most learned
wise woman, and received intensive
instruction in all the fields of dragon
knowledge.
Small lizards and salamanders have been
mistaken for baby dragons. Specimens of
small, stuffed reptiles were exhibited as
dragons in European museums until the 1930s.
These are fakes. Some are lizards with bats'
wings glued on. Other fakes are made of ocean
skates and rays cut and shaped to look like
dragons. The most common display is a dried
four-inch lizard from Malaysia, whose ribs
stick out like wings. Private collectors
who show them off as real baby dragons now
own many of these fakes.
Youngsters of the larger species leave the
mother's weyr near the end of the first year
of life, or just before the start of the next
breeding season, and venture out on their own.
They are then about six feet long, and
relatively safe from most predators, except
perhaps lions and panthers. They avoid these
animals and, of course, stay away from elephants
at all costs. Females are always flightless,
but can reach the lower branches of tall
trees, and the males, even of the flightless
species, are able at this point in their
lives to fly up into the higher branches.
So the fledgling dragons go off on their
own and remain quite solitary until they
become sexually mature about ninety-nine
years later. As the males grow larger,
they too become flightless and usually
quite sedentary.
In general, adult dragons are not very
playful, although youngsters, or dragonlings,
like to play king-of-the-hill and similar
games that improve physical coordination and
skills. A young dragon will sometimes
"play dead" and let some other creature
walk up and begin investigating. Then,
without warning, the dragon will stand up,
spread its wings, and hiss loudly, frightening
the poor creature witless. Young dragons also
mimic other creatures, assuming the posture
of a perched eagle or vulture, or camouflaging
themselves, changing color to resemble a
large stump and blend into the background.
These are usually protective devices, used
when humans approach and the animal is unable
to escape.
Female dragons are very scarce so they are
treated with special care and attention.
The male who incubates a female egg does
not abandon the developing egg as is
customary, but keeps a close watch on it,
turning it over regularly.When it is time
for the egg to hatch, the anxious father
takes it to a safe place, far from human
settlements, and builds a nest well
concealed from prying eyes staying close
by the egg until it hatches.
As soon as the baby female dragon emerges
from the shell, he brings her food so that
she can eat without venturing out of the
nest. When the baby dragon is strong
enough to hold on to her father's shoulders,
he whisks her through the air to the dragon
court, where she will live with the rest of
the young females until the Dragon Father
considers her mature enough to mate.As a
result of being protected and raised by the
group, the physical development of the young
female is slower than that of the male,
although she reaches maturity more rapidly.
It is not unusual for the young female
dragon to start talking before the wing
sacs have disappeared.Female dragons
command great respect and are treated
like queens.Often prouder and fiercer
than males, they are very jealous of their
privileges.By the time the female
dragon is ready or her first mating flight,
she is generally a beautiful adult beast who
has acquired the wisdom of the most learned
wise woman, and received intensive
instruction in all the fields of dragon
knowledge.
Small lizards and salamanders have been
mistaken for baby dragons.Specimens of
small, stuffed reptiles were exhibited
as dragons in European museums until
the 1930s. These are fakes. Some are
lizards with bats' wings glued on.Other
fakes are made of ocean skates and rays
cut and shaped to look like dragons.
The most common display is a dried
four-inch lizard from Malaysia, whose ribs
stick out like wings. Private collectors
who show them off as real baby dragons now
own many of these fakes.
Youngsters of the larger species leave
the mother's weyr near the end of the
first year of life, or just before the
start of the next breeding season, and
venture out on their own. They are then
about six feet long, and relatively safe
from most predators, except perhaps lions
and panthers. They avoid these animals
and, of course, stay away from elephants
at all costs. Females are always flightless,
but can reach the lower branches of tall
trees, and the males, even of the flightless
species, are able at this point in their
lives to fly up into the higher branches.
So the fledgling dragons go off on their
own and remain quite solitary until they
become sexually mature about ninety-nine
years later. As the males grow larger,
they too become flightless and usually
quite sedentary.
In general, adult dragons are not very
playful, although youngsters, or dragonlings,
like to play king-of-the-hill and similar
games that improve physical coordination
and skills. A young dragon will sometimes
"play dead" and let some other creature
walk up and begin investigating. Then,
without warning, the dragon will stand
up, spread its wings, and hiss loudly,
frightening the poor creature witless.
Young dragons also mimic other creatures,
assuming the posture of a perched eagle or
vulture, or camouflaging themselves,
changing color to resemble a large stump
and blend into the background. These are
usually protective devices, used when
humans approach and the animal is unable
to escape.
