1297 pets
It would seem there's mounting evidence of this baby dragon being a battle pet. When or where and if players will be able to collect it is still unclear though. We'll have to keep our eyes open!
Welp, It's A Whelp
The Netherwhelp was the Burning Crusade Collector's Edition companion pet reward (battle pets did not exist at the time). It's currently unavailable unless you're lucky enough to find an edition of that expansion with an unclaimed code. Even then, be prepared to spend a large sum of money on the highly coveted pet.
There's currently no indication what the discovery of this new whelp will mean for players. Will it be collectible? Is this pet intended for Classic or Retail or both?
Some speculate that it might be an upcoming companion pet reward for Classic transitioning to the next expansion. Burning Crusade (Classic) hasn't been officially confirmed yet.
Another hypothesis is that this could be a reward in Retail to celebrate WoW's upcoming anniversary this year, in addition to the announcement of Burning Crusade (Classic).
Although it's not the original Netherwhelp, some collectors may appreciate the chance of collecting a dragon whelp using the same/similar model. (Onyxian Whelpling and Spawn of Onyxia say 'hello'!)
We'll have to wait and see when and where this little Outland dragon will turn up. Since the files were datamined from the PTR, we have to wonder if we'll be seeing this whelpling Soon™?
In the meantime, check out the different colors Wowhead has datamined!
I love how it looks like the colors match the netherwing drake mounts you can acquire in Outland, and hope that it doesn't require a purchase of some kind.
Pretty sure this is the Blizzcon Online pet, probably tied to an announcement of WoW Classic: The Burning Crusade.
I hope they'll add them all, my Netherwhelp has been my favourite for so many years, and I feel bad for those, who can't get one of these adorable little cuties!
@Mastr Why do you have an issue with Europe having 1 more pet, when China has many? Korea too. It's not like Lurky as a look is unique anymore. Many pets are exclusive to specific areas or events. It gives ppl a way to show what they've been to, participated in or bought.