The Changewing appeared in 2011 short movie called Book of Dragons. The Changewing is a medium-sized Mystery Class dragon that was first mentioned in How to Train Your Dragon and first appeared in Book of Dragons.
The chameleon-like Changewings are skilled predators and some of the deadliest dragons in the Book of Dragons. Their camouflaging skills are second to none, allowing them to blend in with rocks, trees, foliage, and even buildings. Additionally, Changewings often change colors based on their moods and surroundings. Instead of fire, they shoot hot, corrosive acid that burns through wood and rocks. They are also extremely agile and fast, even when moving along the ground. Changewings have a social structure similar to a lion pride. The female Changewings do most of the hunting and defense.
Changewings are usually red or green. They have teeth protruding out their lip from their lower jaw and yellow eyes. They possess a pair of horns that protrude from the back of their heads, a single horn on their nose, and a pair of antennae with leaf-like lobes that are similar to a Snaptrapper's. The spines on the Changewings are also leaf-like in shape. Their wings are red or green with yellow edges and their size is close to Monstrous Nightmare as shown by Hookfang trying to rescue Snotlout.
Changewings nest in large, tall forests in packs. They group together for common goals, or in other words, they are team players and will stop at almost nothing to remain in possession of their eggs. Also, Changewings are very curious creatures, and as Hiccup describes, "whatever they see, they want to copy". Changewings are mostly nocturnal, so that they can hide more easily.
A Changewing's egg has gem-like qualities and is green in base, but its aura glows in multiple colors. Some Vikings will mistake these for 'Stones of Good Fortune'.
Changewings are known to be very cooperative and work together to accomplish their goals. Multiple Changewings help one another acquire one of their eggs, and do not rest or leave until all of their eggs have been found. The way a Changewing pack works is very much like how a lion pride works. The females do most of the hunting and fighting, as well as defending their territory. Changewing packs sneak up on their prey — be it a swarm of smaller dragons or a downed dragon, then herd them together or circle a single victim, then pick them off one by one, much like how Black-tip Reef Sharks pick at a bait ball — a compact school of fish they round up against the surface of the water.
Changewings are very maternal dragons, and will protect their young at all costs. However, they have also been known to raise Vikings as baby Changewings. This has only been seen once, when a particularly maternal Changewing captured Snotlout and cuddled and played with him until Hiccup and Toothless got her to drop him.
Like some reptiles such as the snake, Changewings periodically shed their skin, as seen in "A Gruff Separation". The shed seems to be very thick and come off in fairly uniform strips. How often this is done and why exactly is not discussed.
The shed skin still retains its camouflage ability, such that it renders things nearly invisible rather than just changing colors to blend in. How the skin by itself determines the composition of its surroundings is also not discussed, nor if there is a finite limit to it, since the skin has been cast off. Use of this potent tool is only seen in "A Gruff Separation".
Powers and Abilities[]
- Camouflage: The Changewing's most noticeable attribute is the ability to change the color and texture of its scales to match that of their surroundings. They usually blend in with their surroundings while approaching their prey, then transform back into their default colors. The only body part that Changewings can't change is their eyes, which they use to hypnotize victims before an attack. The Changewing's camouflage can also be rendered defunct if they are exposed to Hideous Zippleback gas.
- Acid Blasts: Unlike most other dragons, the Changewing can launch concentrated streams of acid at victims. The acid is green in color and is extremely corrosive. This acid can burn through most, if not all, materials in seconds. However, in the Dragons: Riders of Berk episode "We Are Family, Part 2", Alvin introduced Hiccup to a caged Changewing which shot hot acid at a metal bar, but the bar did not burn. This was also demonstrated in the Dragons: Race to the Edge episode "Night of the Hunters, Part 1" when Snotlout's helmet got hot Changewing acid on it but did not burn through. This means that the Changewings acid cannot corrode metal. However, it is shown in "Dire Straits" that Changewing acid can melt dragon-proof metals. The acid is also highly viscous, able to stay intact underwater. This may indicate an oil-based substance, as it is water-insoluble.
- Hypnosis: Changewings have the uncanny ability to hypnotize both humans and dragons. When they do that, their pupils dilate into slits, then swirl around. This ability is so powerful that they can hypnotize even a Titan Wing Purple Death. They can transmit commands to the hypnotized victim, which it will follow unless snapped out of the trance. However, they don't use this ability too often as they rely more on their acid and camouflage. The Changewing's hypnotizing ability is really similar to the Bewilderbeast's Alpha command, even rivaling it when it comes to the size of the controlled victim. But opposed to the Bewilderbeast, Changewings have only been observed controlling one dragon or human at a time, and it is unknown if they can hypnotize larger groups.
- Strength & Combat: They have been shown to be very strong, capable of holding humans with their claws and tail with no struggle. These dragons seem to be better in battle when they work as a team against their enemies.
- Speed & Agility: Their agility and speed have shown to be quite good. They have been shown to have good reflexes allowing them to dodge attacks in battle. They are relativity fast, though they mainly rely on their camouflage.
- Climber: Due to their long claws, they are shown to be great climbers that can climb on trees, houses and vertical rock walls. They can even stay upside down, which could mean that they have adherent feet, similar to a gecko lizard.
- Prehensile Tail: Changewings have a prehensile tail for gripping as they are able to hold objects. They are able to lift up Vikings with their highly flexible tail with little to no effort. They are also able to catch a falling human with their tails and move him around. This was shown by a wild Changewing and Snotlout in the episode "We Are Family, Part 1". The tail of a Changewing can bend almost completely, which could mean that the bone structures have lots of flexible articulations, or that the tail has no bones at all and is composed just by muscles.
- Senses: Quite possibly, their scent of smell might be strong enough to find their stolen eggs from their island to Berk. Though more likely, they followed the Dragon Riders scent to track down their missing eggs from Snotlout.
- Firepower: Even though Changewings have not yet shown the ability to produce fire in the series, a specimen in the Book of Dragons was shown to do so. It is currently unknown if this was an animation error or not, but Hiccup's Dragon Map in the sequel also has a drawing of a Changewing with a note next to it stating that it can shoot blue fire. One individual, Incognito, from Rise of Berk, is seen breathing yellow fire.
Weaknesses[]
The Changewings' skin is vulnerable to attack, as it is softer due to its color-changing properties. In addition, they can't hide if nothing is in their area for them to camouflage against, such as the sky. When Changewings get threatened, injured, or scared, they can't control their color changes, making them easier to see.
Yet in "When Darkness Falls" and "Snuffnut", they are able to camouflage themselves against the sky. It's unclear if possibly they can camouflage against a dark sky or some sub-species has evolved to take on that trait, similar to the Speed Stingers evolving webbed feet in "The Next Big Sting".
Changewings are also intimidated by a trilling sound (as shown by Dagur the Deranged in "Enemy of My Enemy").