Bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) — species profile (taxonomy, geographic range, habitat, physical description, behavior, wild diet, reproduction, lifespan)
Authoritative first-hand species account (Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan). All bullet facts are verbatim from the cited source and C1-substring verified.
Geographic Range
- Pogona vitticeps has a wide natural distribution in eastern and central Australia.
- They are found from the eastern half of south Australia to the southeastern Northern Territory (Grenard 1999).
Habitat
- Pogona vitticeps occupies a large range of habitats from the desert to dry forests and scrublands.
- It is a semiarboreal lizard that can be found basking on fallen branches, fence posts and picnic tables (Grenard 1999).
Physical Description
- Inland Bearded Dragons are 13 to 24 inches long, including the tail.
- They are appropriately named bearded dragons because of their "beard," an expandable throat pouch with spikey scales.
- They have a broad, triangular head, round bodies, stout legs, and robust tails.
- Color for this species depends on the soil of the region they live in, ranging from dull brown to tan with red or gold highlights (Tosney 1996).
Behavior
- The beard of Pogona vitticeps is used for both mating and agression displays.
- Both sexes have a beard, but males display more frequently, especially for courtship rituals.
- Females will, however, display their beard as a sign of aggression also.
- The beard turns dark to jet black and inflates during the display.
- The bearded dragon may also open its mouth and gape in addition to inflating its beard to appear more intimidating.
Food Habits (Wild Diet)
- Pogona vitticeps are opportunistic omnivores.
- They live in areas where food may be hard to find, so bearded dragons are not finicky eaters.
- Their stomachs are large to accommodate large quantities of plant matter, insects, and the occasional small rodent or lizard (Grenard 1999).
Reproduction
- Inland Bearded dragons reach sexual maturity at 1 to 2 years of age.
- Mating occurs in the Australian spring and summer months of September to March.
- However, captive indoor dragons do not seem to be seasonal and can breed year round (Grenard 1999).
- Females dig a burrow and lay up to 24 eggs per clutch, and up to 9 clutches per year.
Conservation Status
- IUCN Red List [Link] Not Evaluated CITES No special status Other Comments Since the 1960's, Australia has strictly prohibited exports of any native wildlife.
- It is believed that the "founder stock" of captive bred bearded dragons found outside of Australia today were smuggled out of the country between 1974 and 1990 (Grenard 1999).
- Pogona vitticeps is the most commonly found captive bred bearded dragon species.