Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. Ever since it hatched, it has been hiding among the tree leaves.

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.

Neotropical dragons are almost invisible in their preferred habitat. True to her name, Beech Green prefers to hide in this tree rather than anywhere else.