Dunegliders are native to hot climes, from barren steppes to dunes and deserts, often portrayed as guardians of oasis. They appear sandy gray to a darker, ruddy reddish brown. They are not viciously territorial but they will protect resources if they feel that they are being threatened. This is often why travelers will bring along a living offering of a goat or cattle in order to gain access to precious water sources, to gain favor with the dragons who were there first. They have black paws, because the tissue and scales there are thicker to protect them from the scorching sands, and have wide wingspans. They are known to ride the hot air currents of the dunes for many days at a time, often coming down only to drink or to eat.

Dunegliders will often fly great distances to their sacred nesting grounds, which have never quite been found or observed. It's hypothesized they go to the very edge of the desert near the ocean, where they will court for days, fish for seals, and leave their eggs to grow safely in the crags at the ocean's edge.

When hatchlings hatch, they feed on the barnacles and crabs until they are juveniles. They will simultaneously take the leap from the ocean cliffs to test their wings and will glide to lower shores, eating and growing, before they head inland in search of the warm sands and green patches of oasis.