Sunrise Dragon

Sunrise Dragon
Hover Over for Description
Release Date	April 22, 2009
Elemental Affinity	Light
Morphology	Western
Base Rarity	Common
BSA	None
Habitat	Alpine
Color	Light pink, purple
Nicknames	None
Spriters	LadyLyzar, Dovealove

A Sun egg must hatch between 6:00 EST and 12:00 EST to become a Sunrise Dragon.

Sunrise Dragons were released on April 22, 2009, alongside Balloon, Daydream, Dorsal, Pink, Striped, Sunset and Whiptail dragons. Sunrise Dragons are a 'sister species' to Sunset 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 Sunrise rather than a Sunset dragon, a Sun egg must hatch between the hours of 6am and 12pm cave time (EST/EDT). As of June 25, 2017, these dragons can produce Risensong Dragons when bred to Sunsong Amphipteres.

Official Dragon Descriptions

Egg

"This egg is glowing as brightly as the sun."

Hatchling

"Aww... it's a cute baby dragon. It enjoys sunning itself in the morning light."

Mature Hatchling

"Aww... it's a cute baby dragon. It enjoys sunning itself in the morning light.
And look! It's grown its wings! It must be close to maturing."

Adult

"Sunrise dragons are closely related to Sunset dragons. However, their behaviors differ greatly. Sunrise dragons prefer to live in large groups, and enjoy basking in the early morning sun. They are usually most active in the morning, and go to sleep in the early evening."

Sprite Artist(s)

• LadyLyzar (All)
• Dovealove (Adult)

Sprites

Series	Egg	Hatchling	Mature Hatchling	Adult
Female
Male

Sprites No Longer In-Use

Show/Hide Table

Series	Egg	Hatchling	Mature Hatchling	Adult
Temporary Holiday Sprites
Christmas'11 Female	-	-	-
Christmas'11 Male
Halloween'12 Female	-	-	-
Halloween'12 Male
Old Sprites
Old Adult
Old Egg Sequence
Old Dead Egg

Egg Sequence

Stage 0	Stage 1	Stage 2	Stage 3	Stage 4	Stage 5	Dead

Encyclopedia Entry

Show/Hide Entry

Appearance/Basic Anatomy

• Pale flesh, purple-tinted wings mimic the coloration of a sunrise sky, glows when infused with sunlight.
• 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 and tails, longer tail on males.
• Large flexible wings for extended flight, digits are not prominent.
• Mirrored silver horns and claws.
• Facial plating is more elaborate on females.

Hatchling Behavior

• Hatchlings are active in the morning and afternoon.
• Enjoys playing with other hatchlings.
• Loves to bask in the sun, and draws energy from doing so.
• Fascinated with shiny objects, but does not hoard them.
• Very playful and inquisitive.
• Males tend to be more vocal than females.
• Tends to bond with dragontender immediately.
• Females can be rather bossy and demanding.

Adult Behavior

• Very communal, prefer to live in groups of 10‒50 individual adults and their offspring.
• Are able to soar above the clouds to absorb sunlight on cloudy days.
• Each community is presided over by the strongest female.
• Males lead the flightsong, a daily vocalization ritual.
• Rise with the dawn and circle in the sky, gaining power from the sun.
• Immature hatchlings are carried by adults during flight.
• Courtship dance by locking talons while flying and spiraling downward.
• One male Sunset frequently remains with wild groups to guard at night, sometimes breeds with matriarch.

Habitat

• Typcally found in open grassy plains.
• Tend to nest near a water source.
• Avoid rocky areas or forests due to risk of wing damage.
• Some wild populations migrate to follow summer daylight hours.
• Non-migratory communities tend to be more territorial during the winter months.
• Breeding females dig dens or choose caves that face the rising sun.
• Prey must be plentiful near nesting areas.

Diet

• Will sometimes snatch birds mid-flight.
• Hatchlings eat meat because they cannot survive high altitude flights.
• Hunt in open spaces, so prefer picking off vulnerable herd animals.
• Occasionally eat fruit and tree bark.
• Require large quantities of water.
• Are able to release stored heat from their bodies to melt ice during the winter
• Occasionally soil is ingested to provide the dragon with minerals.

Trivia

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

Rarity

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