There are several species of bearded dragon in Australia. All have a flat body, a broad head and stout legs. Sharp spikes run along the sides of their bodies and their throats.
Larger species grow to 60cm long from head to tail tip, but the Pygmy Bearded Dragon (Pogona henrylawsoni) is only 30cm long. Most species have a tail that’s as long as their body.
Males are usually lighter in color than females. Depending on the species, bearded dragons are gray, orange, light brown, tan, or black.
These color changes can happen quickly: The Australian Museum reports that one specimen went from yellow to black in just a few minutes!
Bearded dragons live on land and can run at fast speeds; They are also adept climbers, climbing trees with ease.
Where do bearded dragons live?
Bearded dragons are found throughout Australia, typically in arid or semi-arid environments. Oriental bearded dragons are widely distributed, found in New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria. It is relatively stable to agricultural development and occurs in now urbanized areas.
The Dwarf Dragon or Western Bearded Dragon (Minor Pogona) also has a wide range: it is found over most of Western Australia, the western half of South Australia and the South West of the Northern Territory. This is in stark contrast to the minimal subspecies Pogona, which is found only on a few islands off the coast of Western Australia.
Bearded dragons live in forests, coastal dunes, wastelands, tropical savannas, and deserts. They are often seen lying on stumps, fence posts, tree branches or rocks. From here, they can see predators, prey and mates, while sunbathing.
Bearded dragon behavior
During the colder months, bearded dragons may go into ‘hibernation’ or hibernation. After this winter cooling period, bearded dragons appeared and the males started striding! They grow beards, bite each other’s tails, and shake their heads.
The female lays a litter of about 10 to 30 eggs in a burrow, which is then filled to hide the nest. There is some evidence that the female may store sperm to fertilize an egg after she has laid her first litter.
Bearded dragons are mostly active during the day (active all day), although in the summer they are busiest in the early morning and late afternoon. They are omnivorous: they eat fruit and leaves, invertebrates (such as ants and beetles), and small vertebrates, including other lizards.
What do bearded dragons do when there is no standing water to drink? When it rains lightly, this intelligent lizard will stand on its front legs, head and tail down to let water flow into its mouth. They are supposed to hold this position for 30 minutes at a time!
Threats to bearded dragons
Bearded dragons are eaten by birds, goannas, snakes, dingoes, wild cats and foxes. They are also hosts to a number of internal parasites and mites.
When threatened or frightened, bearded dragons will stick out their beards and open their mouths to face intruders. At the same time, they expand their bodies by breathing in air, making them appear larger than life and can emit small hissing sounds.
Researchers recently discovered that bearded dragons have primitive venom glands, although the venom has little effect on humans.
The biggest threats to bearded dragons are habitat loss and degradation due to land clearing and grazing. Sometimes they are also illegally captured for the pet industry.
