Very young juveniles of Dorygnathus are unknown, the smallest discovered specimen having a wingspan of sixty centimetres; perhaps they were unable to venture far over open sea. Padian concluded that Dorygnathus after a relatively fast growth in its early years, faster than any modern reptile of the same size, kept slowly growing after having reached sexual maturity, which would have resulted in exceptionally large individuals with a  wingspan.
Young Dorygnathus specimens are largely unexplored, measuring sixty centimetres across their wings; it's possible they were unable to travel far over the open ocean. Padian proposed that Dorygnathus experienced rapid growth in its early years, outpacing even modern reptiles of similar size, followed by a more gradual increase in size after reaching maturity, resulting in exceptionally large individuals with impressive wingspans.