Griffin

A Griffin is a legendary creature issued from Greek mythology. It is a beast crossed between a lion and an eagle. The one featured here only appears in the American Dragon: Jake Long episode "The Egg," and makes a quick cameo in "The Love Cruise" in Season 2.

Physical Appearance
In Season 1, the Griffin has the orange beak, wings and front talons of an eagle. It also has cat-like ears and yellow eyes. Its head, neck, chest and wings are covered in red feathers. The rest of its body is that of a lion. Usually, the Griffin is at least as big as a loading truck. In Season 2, the Griffin undergoes a drastic redesign. It still has the body of an eagle and a lion, but with several modifications. It now resembles more of a Bald Eagle, with white feathers on its heads and brown ones on its neck and chest. Its eyes are now green with black markings around them. Its front talons and lion body remain relatively the same, with the exception of its tail: the tuft of fur at the end is replaced by a palm-like formation of feathers. This Griffin is also much bigger than before, reaching a height of at least two or three loading trucks.

Magical Powers
Since Griffins are rarely seen in the series, not much is know about their magical abilities. It is presumed that, thanks to their wings, they possess the ability to fly. If given the chance, they can prove to be fearsome fighters and challenging opponents. Griffins do not have the ability to speak, but they do understand modern languages.

Life in the Magical World
Since Griffins only lay an egg once every thousand years, they are considered to be some of the rarest creatures of the magical realm. Because of their rarity, Griffin eggs are very valuable among magical creatures, which can drive a lot of them out of their way just to get their hands on one. This can cause the Griffin mother to become very protective of its clutch and wary of others, good or bad. Griffins will build their nest on top of tall skyscrapers, such as the The Empire State Building along with the Gargoyles.

In Season 1, Griffins seem to be rather passive creatures. The one featured in the episode "The Egg" appears peaceful when interacting with other creatures and only becomes aggressive when someone gets too close to its egg. Also, when it gets its egg stolen, it immediately starts to mourn without chasing after the kidnappers. However, in Season 2, a Griffin angrily runs loose in the streets of New York City without much explanation on the cause of its rampage.

Eggs and Young
The Griffin egg is about two to three times bigger than a chicken egg and entirely white with soft yellow zebra-like patterns on the outer shell. Although this is shown briefly, it can also glow a soft yellow. The Griffin egg is extremely hard and will take several hits before it can crack open.

Once the baby hatches, it will look exactly like its parents, although much smaller. The mother will then eat the baby since it has to live inside her digestive system for the first week or two following its birth. Once this time has passed, she will regurgitate her young back out.

Trivia

 * In ancient times, a Griffin was often considered the king of animals and a divine creature.
 * In the episode "The Egg," a Griffin was momentarily captured, thanks to a net made of Sphinx hair.
 * According to Lao Shi in "Dragon Summit" (Season 1), Griffins fight dirty.
 * A Griffin may be the inspiration for the blinking griffin logo from Merv Griffin Enterprises from November 28th, 1983-March 31st, 1993.