Here's some cute stages of baby taigas I doodled at work!

Edit: Redrew on the comp~

Infodump Ahoy!

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Adult female taigas go into estrus during the late winter or early spring months. Once their estrus cycle is complete, any fertilized eggs will begin to gestate. Due to being marsupials, gestation is very short-- about 5 weeks. Unlike placental mammals, marsupial fetuses do not grow placentas to receive nutrients, and as such, once the fetuses use up the yolk sac that they develop with, they are ready to be born.

At birth, the tiny taigas (bottom left) could comfortably fit in the palm of a human's hand. They barely resemble their parents, and are hairless, blind, and deaf. Hind limbs and wings are underdeveloped at this point, so the newborns must use their forelimbs to crawl into the mother's pouch and find a teat to suckle. Taigas can have anywhere from 1 to 6 pups at a time, depending on the availability of food and the health of the mother.

Growth happens quickly at this stage, with the mother's milk high in nutrients and fats that allow the pups to put on weight and develop their limbs and muscles (top left). They remain hairless and blind for the summer months after their birth, but their ears open and they begin making tiny vocalizations between feedings. The mother will routinely stick her snout into the pouch to groom both them and remove waste that they leave behind-- it wouldn't do to have a dirty pouch!

By the beginnings of the short fall weeks. The pups begin to open their eyes, and are starting to grow a dense layer of baby down, typically dark brown or black no matter what the adult phase will look like, that will help keep them warm and insulated (top right). They become intensely curious about the world at this point, and might jockey with one another to poke their heads out of the pouch opening! Once the baby down is completely grown in, and the mother might let them make short forays outside (bottom right). Around late fall, pup growth slows considerably compared to earlier weeks as nutrition becomes scarce for the mother. This allows the babies to remain small enough to remain comfortably with their mother during the long winter months.

Next spring, the cubs are plenty developed enough to leave the pouch for longer periods of time, and are typically left with clanmates or in a den while the mother gathers food. One more growth spurt occurs before they begin growing their baby teeth and are subsequently weaned by a very put upon mother! They spend this childhood learning speech, social, and practical skills as they develop their motor capabilities.

Taiga dragons reach adolescence the spring of their third year. It's an awkward, even painful time for young taigas as their previously underdeveloped wings reach a spike in growth, expanding to their adult size. Horns and tusks also grow in, and the baby down that they had sheds off to reveal their adult coats. Despite growing pains, this is a time of celebration in taiga culture, and adolescents may get their wing tattoos as a rite of passage.

Taigas become sexually mature adults at four years, although they do not typically reproduce until they're older. Individuals typically live 80-90 years, although in good health and conditions taigas can reach 150.