Dragons are creatures with nearly unlimited life spans. They can survive for long periods of time, and no one has found a dragon that has died of old age. Adolescence is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling's wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. Once they hit adolescence, hatchlings change quickly, maturing to their full forms in only 2 years.

Dragons don't communicate with each other verbally, but they will growl to scare off predators and frighten prey. Young dragons will emit an extremely high-pitched squeal when they are frightened. To communicate, they use telepathy with each other and to speak to other creatures.

Black dragons are warriors. They are strong and capable in battles of force, but also ample magic users, capable of devastating opponents with their spells. Their bright eyes give them excellent night vision, which is why they generally hunt during the night.

Male dragons fear him, female dragons want him: it's tough being a warrior dragon!  Belatu is the premier fighter of the Summerlands Flock.  As a youngster, he was constantly sparring with whomever and WHATever he could find; be it another of his fellow hatchlings or the end of an adult's tail.  Cadu, his clutchmate, got a lot of practice healing the runner-ups in Bel's fights.  Belatu, for all of his fierceness in battle, never intentionally hurt anyone out of spite or anger; for him, it was all just training.  Now that he's grown, he leads the other dragons in the defense of their territory.  With his ebony black scales and glowing yellow-green eyes, he is a striking figure of a dragon and many of the ladies in the flock pose and preen when he passes by.