The Vine Tail is a small Tracker Class dragon that first appeared in Dragons: The Nine Realms.
Quick Answers
What is the physical appearance of the Vine Tail dragon?
What are the unique features of the Vine Tail's tail?
How does the Vine Tail dragon resemble a monkey and a lizard?
What is the role of the Vine Tail dragon in Dragons: The Nine Realms?
How does the Vine Tail dragon's appearance contribute to its name?
Physical Appearance[]
Hatchling to Adult[]
The Vine Tail is a small-sized dragon with a physique reminiscent of both a monkey and a lizard. It has a rounded head, a long flat body with a narrow waist, and a long tail that is split in three at the tip. It has leaf-like spines that run from neck to tail and behind its front legs, and a crown of spikes behind its head that bear thorn-like spikes. It has four long legs, with the front pair having four fingers, including opposable thumbs, and the back pair having two toes with a higher placed claw behind it. They also have small triangular wings with a giant eyespot on top. Vine Tails come in various different colors, including dull blue, teal, yellow and lilac, with a secondary colour, often green, forming a band around their necks, as well as making up the inside of their wings. These wings are narrow and can be folded against their sides like draco lizard wings. Their faces often fade into white, while their eyes can be purple, green, or yellow.
Abilities[]
Prehensile Tail[]
Similar to spider monkeys, the Vine Tail possesses a remarkably versatile tail that functions as an additional appendage, enabling it to grasp and manipulate objects with adeptness. The dragons possess a remarkably strong and versatile tail, which serves as a sturdy appendage to bear the entirety of their body weight effortlessly. This tail proves to be not only a means of locomotion, facilitating their movement as they skillfully swing from one branch to another, but also enables them to seize objects with ease while traversing the dense forest canopy. In addition to their slender appendages, the Vine Tails possess a remarkably tenacious grasp, enabling them to interlock with one another, thus overpowering two dragons of moderate size in a formidable game of tug-of-war. Furthermore, it is worth noting that Vine Tails possess the remarkable ability to firmly grasp items using their anterior appendages.
Tail Extension[]
Vine Tails are able to extend their normally regular-sized tails to stretch and become much longer, which enables them to wrap around trees and branches.
Climbers[]
Vine Tails are shown to be pretty agile climbers, as they can climb and move through the trees with ease. Their locomotion greatly resembles that of tree-climbing monkeys. They are also excellent jumpers, as they can jump from tree to tree, similar to some primates.
Chain Formation[]
By linking with each other, they can form a chain that can be used in certain situations. When used in a tug-of-war against large dragons, their collective strength is considerably greater than the efforts of an individual. One group was able to out-pull an adult Gembreaker and Night Light in a tug-of-war. They were also able to pull multiple dragons from the clutches of dragon-eating plants, which evolved to be able to ensnare dragons with little means of escape.
Strength and Combat[]
The Vine Tails may seem weak alone, but together they are a powerful force. With their combined strength, they are strong enough to pull much heavier objects than themselves. One Vine Tale is powerful enough to jump and bring down a teenager.
Speed, Agility and Stealth[]
The Vine Tail is shown to be quite an agile and stealthy dragon, as shown when a pack of them snuck up on the Dragon Riders using the canopy to get above them, and stole various items, such as a bag of chocolate, a tablet and a book without warning. They have great reflexes that make them hard to catch while chasing through the dense forests they call home.
Intelligence and Social Nature[]
Vine Tails are very intelligent dragons. They understand basic bartering and will even do favors in exchange for trading with them. And very much like monkeys, they are highly social dragons. They will work together as a team to manipulate their opponents into helping them get what they want, often at the expense of the victims themselves, as shown when a pack of Vine Tails tricked the Dragon Club's dragons into falling prey to the Nature Realm's carnivorous flora instead of the Vine Tails. They are intelligent enough to understand that by forming a chain, they can win a tug-of-war against much larger opponents.
Weaknesses[]
Pack Dependency[]
These dragons depend on the group's help to measure up against large size dragons.
Limited Flight[]
These dragons have undergone adaptations to thrive in the indigenous forests of the Nature Realm. As a result, the necessity for long-distance flight is minimal, and they are limited to short flights and glides between trees. Their survival primarily relies on their agility and climbing abilities rather than extensive aerial mobility.
Behavior and Personality[]
These creatures exhibit intelligence and behavior reminiscent of monkeys, displaying a high level of cunning and a propensity for group cooperation. With dexterity in both their hands and tails, Vine Tails have the ability to deftly snatch items from people's hands or bags, showcasing their resourcefulness and opportunistic nature. They also shown to be playful against human as they thrown to each other similar to monkey in middle for Doctor D’s food.
Vine Tails demonstrate a notable level of cunning through their ability to manipulate others. They possess a keen understanding of bartering and are adept at persuading individuals to assist them. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that their motivations are primarily driven by self-interest, and they do not exhibit any genuine intention to aid those they deceive. They are particularly skilled at exploiting their enemies, including dragons, to their advantage. By luring them into traps, they effectively utilize them to acquire the food they seek. It is important to recognize that Vine Tails are considered highly dangerous due to their deceptive nature and their ability to exploit and manipulate others for their own benefit.
In terms of locomotion, Vine Tails navigate through their environment, particularly the tree canopy, with agility and grace reminiscent of arboreal monkeys. They effortlessly swing from branch to branch, utilizing their prehensile tails to grasp and hang, showcasing their adaptability and versatility in their natural habitat.
Training[]
These dragons rely on manipulation and bartering to gain what they need, so in order to earn their trust and allegiance, you need to do something for them first. Trading goods with them for a favor can work, as after this, they will often return the favor and help you solve your own matters or allow you to help them in cases where they are injured.
Appearances[]
Dragons: The Nine Realms[]
Season 5[]
In "Barrel of Vine Tails", while the Dragon Club searches for Hiccup's supposed resting place in the Nature Realm, D'Angelo hears something in the bushes, and out of nowhere, a Vine Tail steals his bag full of haystacks. Two more then steal the Book of Dragons and Alex's tablet and then make off with them, so the the Dragon Riders pursue the Vine Tails; however, they have trouble trying to catch them through the trees. They manage to retrieve the haystacks and the tablet from the Vine Tails; however, after out pulling the book from Plowhorn, they make off with it, so the riders go after them on foot. They eventually find the Vine Tails' tree and the dragons themselves, so in order to get the book back, they offer the haystacks for them. However, the vines on the floor wrap around their dragons, making them unable to move, and the Vine Tails use the dragons as a bridge to avoid the vines and get to the tree, in which they give back the book. The riders then use the book and the tablet to trade with the Vine Tails in order to get the dragons out, in which they accept, and one by one the Vine Tails manage to free the other dragons from the vines. Then in order to get their stuff back again, the riders place large rocks over the vines so that the Vine Tails can travel in and out of the tree without stepping on the vines.
Season 6[]
In "Dragons Everywhere!", Vine Tails are one of the many dragons that fled to ICARIS due to Sledkin and Linda provoking Deadly Nadders for their Dragonsite in the nest, which made them chase off other dragons out of the Hidden World. But after placing fake eels everywhere, they, along with the rest of the dragons, returned back into the Hidden World.
Season 7[]
In "Hobs and Saw", at D'Angelo's dragon hospital, one of his patients is an injured or sick Vine Tail who is resting on a cot with a pillow. After checking on Hobs, the Vine Tail is then sitting on a pillow on the floor.
In "Eugene's Lean Mean Extreme Dream Team", while D'Angelo treats two Vine Tails at the hospital, they steal his stethoscope, so he trades them a haystack for it; however, they bargain for two and give it back. Then Eugene barges in unannounced and opens the door wide open, allowing the Vine Tails to escape and annoying D'Angelo because he and Plowhorn had to go retrieve them before they get into the food rations.
Season 8[]
In "How to Train Jörmungandr", when Jörmungandr rampages in the Nature Realm, Tom and Thunder evacuate the dragons there and even bring two Vine Tails towards the entrance to escape into the dragons' lair.
In "The Great Foster Fake-Out", because of Jörmungandr's rampage, Vine Tails were one of the many dragons being fostered by the Rakke employees to be given a home, one even taking a liking to May, although the feeling wasn't mutual. However, when Mr. Rakke comes for a visit, they, along with the rest of the dragons, had to be hidden. A couple were taken into the hanger until they got scared off the Magma Breather, activating the fire alarm and causing everyone to chase after them. Later, when they got all the dragons into the research station, the Vine Tails, along with a few other dragons, were forced into the elevator to be taken to the higher floor. However, once they were taken into the lab, Mr. Rakke arrived, but the Vine Tails were hidden as Wu and Wei created a steam cloud and Thunder stunned Mr. Rakke with a lightning blast.
In "Science vs. Nature", Buzzsaw has a strategy to collect injured dragons after Jörmungandr knocks them down, allowing him to easily capture them, one of which included a Vine Tail he captured. Later, however, after the riders take Buzzsaw's ballista along with Ford and Winston, they free all the captured dragons, including the Vine Tail.
In "Ragnarok: Part 1", when Tom and Jun are collecting limestone in the Nature Realm for Gronckle Iron, they encounter some Vine Tails who are on edge after having encountered Jörmungandr, so much so that they attack Jun and begin to corner her and Tom aggressively. However, after Thunder jumps in front of the Vine Tails and displays his dominance over them, they become calm again and even play on Wu and Wei.
Trivia[]
- The Vine Tail is one of the few dragons with no wings, just like the Woodchipper, Octofin, Glass Caster, and Cavern Crasher.
- Their appearance and behavior are similar to draco lizards, and the extinct coelurosauravus.
References[]
- ↑ "@JTellegen could you disclose the classes of the new dragon species (Vine Tail & Snifflehide)?" (Date Posted - March 6, 2023). Twitter.
