Spike hatched from an egg, and even though he walks and speaks fairly maturely, he's still called a 'baby' dragon. In Dragon Quest, it is shown that even at his age, lava is harmless to him and he swims in it as readily as ponies do in water. He describes several of his traits in different episodes, among them being fire-proof, having tough scales that allow him to be pin-pricked without feeling pain (although he reacts when his tail is stepped on), and magically sending scrolls and other items by burning them with his fire breath. Spike is a baby dragon and one of the main characters of the show.
