Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. It has a large, shield-like object at the end of its tail that it uses for protection.
And look! It’s grown its wings! It must be close to maturing.

Young dragons are relatively defenseless. Their scales don’t grow in until right before they mature, and they have almost no strength. Once a hatchling’s wings grow in, it marks the beginning of maturation. At this point they are usually left alone by their mother and begin to hunt and survive on their own.