Some merfolk legends say, urchins of all kinds appeared of urchin dragons’ scales and if you see urchins gathering in a huge crowd, a dragon liar can be found somewhere close to it. If you ever saw an urchin dragon you would easily understand how such an idea could come to mind. Adult urchin dragons are large creatures of dark purple, navy or black colors, slow and imperturbable. Their bodies are covered with firm scales, long sharp needles grow out of each one making it impossible to bite or harm them for any ocean predator. They feed mostly on plankton; if they want a tasty snack, they just float with their mouth wide open and play “a worm” with their tongue in wait for any hungry or curious creature to come and catch it. However, their younglings don’t have such a perfect natural armour and first few years of life their scales are thick and tough – so they have found a way to defend themselves from dangers with help of other underwater creatures. Urchin dragon’s egg is covered with a thick layer of stuff which smells and tastes perfect for urchins, so when an urchin dragon is going to lay an egg, it is looking for an urchin crowd and just throws an egg somewhere near it. Urchins will cover it and will stay there eating the stuff and therefore protecting the egg with their bodies. When a baby dragon hatched out, it smells the same as the stuff so the urchins will cover it too but they have no chance to make it any harm. The thing is, while the dragon’s scales have not become firm yet, its skin is producing slimy sticky liquid attracting urchins, and when an urchin makes its first bite, its mouth fills with the liquid, glues tightly to the dragon’s body and cannot move anymore. Dead urchins fall off together with old scales and new ones take their places, until the dragon has grown enough, and such a defence is no more needed. Sometimes the liquid glues a pack of urchins all together and it takes a lot of time for the last soft scales fall off, that is why you may often see a young dragon floating with some urchins’ skeletons, still decorating its body.
