Aww... It’s a cute baby dragon. Water behaves strangely around it, though the hatchling doesn’t seem to notice.

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.

This hatchling loves to ride the waves. Unlike most surfers, she simply sits on top of the water, using her forward-pointing tail to steer. Upon reaching the shore, she flies up and out to where the waves start, gently settling atop the water again. She almost never actually enters the water.