They had multifaceted eyes that changed color depending on the dragon's mood. Unlike Terran species, dragon ichor did not have different types, and giving a dragon a transfusion of ichor from another dragon would never make them sick. Their blood, referred to as ichor, is copper-based and green in color. Like all of Pern's native large fauna, they had six limbs - four feet and two wings. Weyrholds could then work to support dragon upkeep on their own (such as raising their own herdbeasts and the like), without having to depend on others.ĭragons were carnivorous, oviparous, warm-blooded creatures. The idea was that when Thread no longer falls, the dragonriders' time will be freed up to establish their own specialized holds, generally in locations that satisfy draconic needs but are less attractive to large human settlements. In particular, F'lessan spearheaded this effort with the first ' Weyrhold' at Honshu Weyrhold. This drove weyrleaders to seriously consider how they would live with dragons after the Ninth Pass when Thread was no longer a threat. In turn, the dragonriders were often resentful of what they deemed a lack of respect towards them. This was known to cause resentment among those doing the tithing, especially at times when Thread was not falling. The arrangement of donations to the weyrs was called 'tithing'. However, the great beasts required a good deal of maintenance and food, to the degree of requiring a large part of Pernese infrastructure - especially cattle farming - to be centered around their upkeep. Later genetic manipulation by Ping's granddaughter, Wind Blossom, also resulted in the watch-whers, which were ungainly, nocturnal creatures who bore a slight resemblance to dragons.Īs the primary line of defense against the Thread, dragons were a requirement for the survival and prosperity of humans and all other forms of land life on Pern. The dragons were named after their resemblance to Western dragons from the legends of old Earth. Geneticist Kitti Ping Yung designed the dragons by manipulating the genetic code of the indigenous fire lizards that had been acquired as pets by the colonists. In Dragonsdawn, the race was intentionally engineered to fight Thread after it first caught the human colonists on Pern unawares, with devastating results. 8.2.1 Dragon Riders: Chronicles of Pern (2001).

The white dragon pern