Dragon Cave Wiki

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's time for the Valentine's Day event! For the latest on the Dragon Cafe mini-game and this year's dragon release, check out our current release article!

READ MORE

Dragon Cave Wiki
Register
Advertisement

A Sun egg must hatch between 18:00 EST and 00:00 EST to become a Sunset Dragon.

Sunset Dragons were released on April 22, 2009, alongside Balloon, Daydream, Dorsal, Pink, Striped, Sunrise and Whiptail dragons. Sunset dragons are a 'sister' species to Sunrise Dragons as both hatch from the same egg.

Sunrise and Sunset eggs will not hatch outside of their specified time brackets. In order to get a Sunset rather than a Sunrise dragon, a Sun egg must hatch between the hours of 6pm and 12am cave time (EST/EDT). As of June 25, 2017, these dragons can produce Setsong Dragons when bred to Sunsong Amphipteres.

In order to get credit in the Dragon Encyclopedia for owning a Sunset egg, the player must successfully hatch the egg into a Sunset hatchling. Prior to hatching, the encyclopedia counts all Sun eggs as Sunrise eggs.

Official descriptions[]

Egg[]

This egg is glowing as brightly as the sun.

Hatchling[]

Aww... It's a cute baby dragon. Its belly is bright red and it is most active in the evening.

Mature hatchling[]

Aww... It's a cute baby dragon. Its belly is bright red and it is most active in the evening.

And look! It's grown its wings! It must be close to maturing.

Adult[]

Sunset dragons are closely related to Sunrise dragons. However, their behaviors differ greatly. Sunset dragons generally live alone or in small packs. They are more active in the evening, hunting and performing all of their daily tasks as the sun sets.

Sprite artists[]

Sprites[]

Series Egg Hatchling Mature hatchling Adult
Female Sunrise-Sunset egg Sunset hatchi Sunset mature hatchi Sunset female
Male Sunset male

Egg sequence[]

Stage 0 Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Stage 5 Dead
Sunrise-Sunset egg Sunrise-Sunset crack 1 Sunrise-Sunset crack 2 Sunrise-Sunset crack 3 Sunrise-Sunset crack 4 Sunrise-Sunset crack 5 Sunrise-Sunset dead egg

Retired sprites[]

Temporary event sprites
Series Egg Hatchling Mature hatchling Adult
Holiday 2011
Female
Sunset female Christmas 2011
Holiday 2011
Male
Sunset male Christmas 2011
Halloween 2012
Female
Sunset female Halloween 2012
Halloween 2012
Male
Sunset male Halloween 2012
April Fools' Day 2018
Female
Sunset female AF 2018
April Fools' Day 2018
Male
Sunset male AF 2018
April Fools' Day 2020
Female
Sunset female AF 2020
April Fools' Day 2020
Male
Sunset male AF 2020
April Fools' Day 2022
Female
Sunset female AF 2022
April Fools' Day 2022
Male
Sunset male AF 2022
Retired sprites
Series Egg Hatchling Mature hatchling Adult
Original adult Old Sunset adult
Retired female Old Sunset female
Retired egg sequence Old Sunrise-Sunset egg Old Sunrise-Sunset crack 1 Old Sunrise-Sunset crack 2 Old Sunrise-Sunset crack 3 Old Sunrise-Sunset crack 4 Old Sunrise-Sunset crack 5
Retired dead egg Old Sunrise-Sunset dead egg

Encyclopedia entry[]

Show/Hide Entry

Encyclo title bar

Appearance/Basic Anatomy

  • Purple skin, with fiery orange wings and scutes.
  • Very fine scales, almost appear to be smooth-skinned except for the prominent scutes that run the full length of the body.
  • Lean and muscular, very athletic appearance.
  • Long, flexible necks, longer tail on males.
  • Large wings for extended flight, digits are not prominent.
  • Mirrored silver horns and claws.
  • Females have an additional horn.

Hatchling Behavior

  • Hatchlings are independent rather than social.
  • Wants to be out in the evening and at night.
  • Territorial toward other hatchlings, especially other Sunsets.
  • Require large amounts of food.
  • Able to fly soon after wings come in.
  • High energy.
  • Hunts some of its own food.

Adult Behavior

  • Usually live alone, except when raising hatchlings.
  • Territorial, will fight with other dragons.
  • Absorb last sun rays to use in hunting; hunt by releasing light to disorient prey.
  • “Flares” can also be used for defense.
  • Rise in the early evening.
  • Non-migratory.
  • A single male often guards a nearby group of Sunrise Dragons at night.
  • Court by locking talons mid-air and spiraling toward the ground.

Habitat

  • Adults dig large dens for resting and raising young.
  • Prefer wide open spaces.
  • Dens always face toward the setting sun.
  • Rarely found in forests or rocky areas.
  • Size of territory related to availability of prey.
  • Found near water sources.
  • During the winter months, territories increase in size.

Diet

  • Exclusively carnivorous, prefer large animals.
  • No part of the prey is left uneaten, unless used for nesting material.
  • Usually take deer or large herd animals.
  • Adults can regurgitate food for hatchlings.
  • Have been known to take domesticated animals.
  • Hatchlings frequently eat insects or rodents caught by themselves.
  • Will also hunt other predators.
  • Frequently viewed as “pests” by humans.

Trivia[]

  • Before the Dimorphism change on March 26, 2010, both genders of this dragon appeared as the male sprite.

Additional information[]

Speaking as the concept creator for the Sunrises and Sunsets - the hatching mechanic fits the breed. The eggs require some sun exposure to hatch regardless of breed - the absorbed solar energy give the hatchling strength to break out. As such, they won't hatch at night.

Sunrises rely on solar energy to feed - it sustains them like charging a battery. As such, they don't have to eat as much as other dragons do. A brand new hatchling does need some solar energy to kickstart its system, but too much right after hatching would overwhelm its system and kill it. They have to adjust to get used to the more intense periods where they absorb the most sun. That is why they hatch as the sun is rising, and will not hatch in the evening or during the heat of the day (noon to late afternoon is typically the hottest part of a day).

Sunsets work differently. Rather than using solar energy to feed, they store some up to use later. They emit bright light to temporarily blind nocturnal creatures so they can easily kill and eat them - they don't have a lot of natural armor or offensive weapons to aid in taking down prey. A new hatchling will not emerge until the sun is going down or has passed completely - just like Sunrises, too much energy can kill them and they are more vulnerable to an excess of solar energy than Sunrises are. However, if too much time has passed since the egg was last exposed to the sun, the hatchling will not have enough strength to successfully emerge from its egg.

I'm in the keep it simple camp, myself. 6 hours of each slot divides nicely and you won't have to track changing seasons. It would make sense for the Sunrise period to be longer in summer and Sunsets to be shorter (due to length of days) - and vice versa in the Winter - but I think that makes a somewhat complicated mechanic even more so. Also, no size for the world of DC has been given, so we don't even know what part of the planet its on, and what time sunrise/sunset would even occur. Sunrises and Sunsets can be found all over the world, so an adjustment for placement on the planet would be even more complicated!
LadyLyzar
Advertisement