A useful collection of miscellaneous facts, figures and information about Bearded Dragons/ Pogona.
Environment
Bearded Dragons only come from Australia
They live in hot arid climates, such as semi-desert areas and dry woodland
Bearded Dragons are semi-arboreal, they love to climb and jump as well as burrow
It is now illegal to export wild dragons outside of Australia, Bearded Dragons are now bred in captivity for sale worldwide
While there is little water in their habitat they do actually enjoy swimming/ wading in shallow water nearly as much as they enjoy pooing in it!
Physiology/ Identification
They are scientifically known as Pogona which is a sub species of the Agaminae family of lizards which are then part of the Agamidae species
They share many physiological features found in other Agamid lizards as well as things such as habitat, diet, behaviour
Bearded Dragons have very strong legs and can move at an astonishing rate if they need to, generally though they can only sustain short bursts
They are called Bearded Dragons because of the beard like pouch under the mouth that they can inflate and the dark colours that it will turn
There are 9 species of Pogona / Bearded Dragon although some could be classed as the same since only the location of habitat varies
In captivity Pogona Vitticeps has been bred in to a multitude of different colours and markings
They have excellent eyesight and can see prey over a fair distance
It has been known for them to run on their hind legs, although this is claimed to be seen in the wild – I have yet to see it
Behaviour
Pogona are diurnal, meaning that these lizards are active during the daytime
They display a variety of communication methods between themselves such as arm waving, head bobbing, colour changes and inflating their bodies into a disc shape to face off against each other
In groups, more dominate dragons will often climb and lie on top of another dragon in order to claim a basking spot
They are very territorial and can be aggressive to other dragons, especially between males
They will bite and nip at toes and tails of other dragons and even attempt to steal food from another Beardies mouth
Most adult dragons are docile and friendly with a good temperament, they can be quite outgoing and adventurous at times
The display some basic signs of intelligence, I have one dragon that recognises the sound of a bag of locusts and another that know where the food is kept and will always attempt to break in
Diet
Pogona/ Agamids are generally omnivorous eating anything from vegetation and insects to small mammals such as mice
They can go for weeks without eating although generally are very greedy eaters
I have yet to find anything that a dragon won’t eat, it’s more a case of preventing them from things that they shouldn’t eat
They need a supply of calcium and vitamin D3, using UVB radiation from the sunlight to help produce/ metabolise it
Lifespan
Average lifespan is around 5-8 years
Pogona Vitticeps for example can live for up to 10 years and grow to up to 60cm / 24 inches in captivity
Lifespan is significantly reduced in poor habitat or constant breeding
Breeding
Courting behaviour can last for weeks
In captivity they are prolific at breeding, with a high success rate for the young, you can quickly end up with 50 baby dragons with no effort
They can lay up to 150 eggs over several clutches
The female can store sperm to use when she has eggs to fertilise them
Hibernation
Similar to mammals they will have extended periods of rest where they shut down/ sleep for a few months, this is known as brummation
When brummating they should be left alone and temperature inside the enclosure should be reduced
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