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.

Green dragons are also sometimes called "earth" dragons. They usually live deep within caves, and have power over the earth. They are capable of launching boulders at high speeds, and can cause earthquakes by slamming down onto the ground.

Andava is quite moody, expressing annoyance at one moment and joy at another, though annoyance is probably more common. She longs for hatchlings of her own, and awaits each mating season eagerly, though she is always sad to see her offspring go. This sadness was somewhat eased, however, by the permanent addition of one of her daughters, Prala, in her mistress' cave. Andava was the fifth dragon to be listed on Vinr's scroll and is life-mated to Bombadil.