Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. Except for the occasional flicker of movement, it remains inanimate.

And look! It has grown wings! It must be close to maturing.

Young dragons are relatively defenseless. They are born with relatively soft scales, which are shed and replaced with harder ones as the hatchling matures. Once a hatchling’s wings grow in, it typically marks the beginning of maturation. At this point they are often capable of hunting on their own and are usually left alone by their mother.

Zimbabwe is one of Phoenix's dragons. He stands as the oldest dragon Phoenix has tamed, rescued from the home cave more dead than alive, and when Phoenix couldn't save him, she was faced with no other alternative than to freeze him. Zimbabwe later named himself, having taken a liking to the odd word when he saw it in one of Phoenix's books. He is a quiet hatchling and says very little, although thanks to his age (and Phoenix's favoritism) he is one of the wisest dragons in the cave. He has made good friends with Blankfeather and Berrystreak.