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Common Pygmies, formerly called "Pygmy Dragons", were released on July 15, 2009, alongside Albino Dragons, Cheese Dragons and Ochredrakes. Since their introduction to the cave, they have been updated to display gender dimorphism. Like all pygmies, their eggs cannot be bitten by Vampire Dragons and they can only breed with other pygmies.

On August 20, 2017, this breed's name was changed along with its adult description being rewritten as part of wider site updates. Previously, when sorted by breed, Common Pygmies sorted as "Pygmy".

Official descriptions[]

Egg[]

This egg is so tiny you almost didn't see it.

Hatchling[]

Aww... It's a cute baby dragon. It can fit right in your palm.

Mature hatchling[]

Aww... It's a cute baby dragon. It can fit right into your palm.

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

Adult[]

Common Pygmies are sweet in temperament and palate. They spend a fair amount of time foraging for and scavenging food but have a particular fondness for sweet tasting treats, such as honey. When pickings are slim, they can hunt songbirds and small mammals. Common Pygmies stay in large groups, migrating alongside their food supply. Although capable of the same basic vocal sounds of most other dragons, Common Pygmies prefer to communicate through body language. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that Common Pygmy hatchlings are rather affectionate.

Sprite artists[]

Sprites[]

Series Egg Hatchling Mature hatchling Adult
Female Common Pygmy egg Common Pygmy hatchling Common Pygmy mature hatchling female Common Pygmy adult female
Male Common Pygmy mature hatchling male Common Pygmy adult male

Egg sequence[]

Stage 0 Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Dead
Pygmy egg Pygmy crack 1 Pygmy crack 2 Pygmy crack 3 Pygmy crack 4 Pygmy crack 5 Pygmy dead egg

Retired sprites[]

Temporary event sprites
Series Egg Hatchling Mature hatchling Adult
Holidays 2011
Female
Common Pygmy adult female Holiday 2011
Holidays 2011
Male
Common Pygmy adult male Holiday 2011
Halloween 2012
Female
Common Pygmy adult female Halloween 2012
Halloween 2012
Male
Common Pygmy adult male Halloween 2012
April Fools' Day 2018
Female
Common Pygmy adult female AF 2018
April Fools' Day 2018
Male
Common Pygmy adult male AF 2018
April Fools' Day 2022
Female
Common Pygmy adult female AF 2022
April Fools' Day 2022
Male
Common Pygmy adult male AF 2022
Retired sprites
Series Egg Hatchling Mature hatchling Adult
Retired sprites
Original sprites Common Pygmy egg original Common Pygmy adult original
Retired dead egg Common Pygmy dead egg retired

Encyclopedia entry[]

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Appearance/Basic Anatomy

  • They have brightly coloured eyes with large pupils.
  • Their horns have slight ridges on them, and end in wickedly sharp points.
  • Most are a bright orangy-yellow, though some individuals are either paler or darker than this—from almost white to a moderate umber.
  • The wings of these dragons only have two phalanges and a small thumb.
  • Their scales are smooth and perfectly circular.

Hatchling Behavior

  • Hatchlings are very affectionate.
  • They pick up just about anything they can carry.
  • Even though they are too small to play with other hatchlings, they love to chase after them.
  • They seem to amass small collections of unique and colourful objects.
  • Every once in a while they stalk birds.
  • Hiding behind larger dragons seems to be their primary defense strategy.
  • They are very inquisitive.
  • While they are not hyperactive, they seem to have boundless energy.

Adult Behavior

  • They seem to communicate mostly through body language and expression.
  • Most of their time is spent within a small group of dragons.
  • When the larger group migrates, the pygmies go with it.

Habitat

  • Commonly found in tree-covered regions, from sparse woods to deep forest.
  • This breed typically makes its nests amongst shelf-fungus.
  • Small colonies may live removed from forested areas, provided there are larger dragons they can live alongside.
  • They seem to prefer living in evergreen trees, but generally choose trees close to stands of sweet-sapped deciduous trees.
  • They construct their nests out of general forest detritus, even when living removed from forests.
  • Migration appears to depend on individual populations.

Diet

  • These dragons seem to eat just about everything.
  • Whenever they get the chance, they take the meat left over from other dragon’s kills.
  • They spend a fair amount of time foraging.
  • Occassionally [sic] you see them catch birds or small mammals.
  • They seem to really love sweet things–sap, honey, and nectar.
  • Nuts seem to pose a problem for their jaws, but they eat them anyways.
  • They don’t seem to like mushrooms or other fungus.
  • They eat bird eggs eagerly, but never dragon eggs.

Trivia[]

  • There was once a Stone egg that was born of a mating between a pygmy and another type of dragon. It was bred by a wild female Common Pygmy and a wild male Stone Dragon on May 16, 2011. The dragon has since been removed from the cave, having been considered a glitch.[citation needed]
  • Before the August 20, 2017 update, the Common Pygmy adult description read:
Pygmy dragons are the smallest breed of true dragons, being the size of a small cat. They are often found around concentrated populations of dragons, relying on their larger brethren to ward away potential predators, and to leave generous scraps. As such, the majority of a Pygmy's diet is scavenged, though they do hunt songbirds and small mammals when the pickings are slim. Due to their tiny size, pygmies do not breed with other varieties of dragons, but select mates within their breed.

Additional information[]

  • Regarding pygmy sizes:
Pygmies were originally supposed to be about 2 inches long, total. They were nectar-feeders and "often mistaken for large bees" or something like that. TJ asked me the night of the release to rewrite the descriptions, and said they could be "cat sized." When I said "small cat" Singapuras were my basis. However, the stats I have written down are;

Length;Under a foot
Height; ~5 inches from withers to ground
Wingspan; ~2 feet
Weight; 1 KG or less

And clarification on the weight; It's based off of predatory bird weights, rather than mammal weights, because they have hollow bones and whatnot.
Vicats (Pygmy Size Clarification Topic)


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