        Lyra laughed.  “I wasn’t able to ask it its age.  It wasn’t very colorful, what I could see of it.  That could be normal—maybe they’re all like that.  Or, it could be a sign of immaturity—some species don’t adapt a colorful coat until they have reached sexual maturity.  It could also be a sign of advanced age, since some species lose their color as they become old.  It could even be seasonal.  Maybe it’s brightly colored sometimes, and dull others.  I suppose one of the things we should learn is its basic biology.  We don’t know what it eats, if it even does.”