Bearded Dragons

Bearded dragons get their name from the fact that they have long, thorn-like structures on their head and neck that resemble a beard.

Characteristics

What do bearded dragons look like?

Bearded dragons belong to the reptiles and there to the family of agamas. They measure 25 centimeters from head to body and up to 60 centimeters to the tip of the tail. So the tail is longer than the body and head combined. The body is somewhat flattened and widens in the middle. Bearded dragons weigh between 250 and 500 grams.

They are brown-blue-grey in color with a diamond-shaped pattern. The color differs from animal to animal. Some are yellowish or rusty red. They also change color when they sunbathe – they then become darker. The ventral side is light gray to beige. The chin crease has large, beard-like spikes of skin. The head is triangular in shape. There is an oval spot on the side of the head: This is the eardrum, the bearded dragon’s hearing organ. They don’t have an auricle. His front and hind legs are short and strong with relatively large claws.

Where do bearded dragons live?

Bearded dragons are only found on the Australian continent. There they occur everywhere except in the areas of the extreme north. Bearded dragons live in arid habitats such as savannas, bush steppes, semi-deserts, and deserts. Only a few types of grass and dwarf shrubs grow there.

What types of bearded dragons are there?

There are eight different species belonging to the Pogona genus. In addition to the eastern bearded dragon, these are, for example, the dwarf bearded dragon or the Kimberley bearded dragon, the small bearded dragon, or the western bearded dragon. 34 genera with more than 300 species belong to the Agama family. They live in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australia, and Africa.

How old do bearded dragons get?

Bearded dragons can live 10 to 15 years.

Behave

How do bearded dragons live?

Bearded dragons are ground dwellers. Sometimes they climb on small bushes. They are diurnal reptiles. Because of this, they can see very well and even distinguish colors. Bearded dragons perceive enemies, prey, and also conspecifics from afar. They can tell if they are male or female from their peers because they are different colors most of the year. They often sunbathe. Like all reptiles, they are cold-blooded animals. This means that their body temperature depends on the temperature of their surroundings. Depending on the activity, it is between 28 and 40°C.

As they warm up and soak up the sun, they change body color, becoming light brown to black. This allows them to store heat better. When they are warmed up, their color becomes lighter again. They also change color when they get angry. Bearded dragons in the wild behave in a dismissive manner towards humans. If someone gets too close, they open their mouths and spread their beards.

They also do this when arguing with their peers or being attacked by enemies. With a raised beard, they look much larger and more dangerous. If you touch them, they will even bite you or hit you violently with their tails. In the dry or winter season and to rest, bearded dragons crawl into burrows or in the burrows of other animals. When awake, they like to perch on high spots and survey their territory.

Friends and foes of the bearded dragon

Bearded dragons can be especially dangerous for birds of prey and predators.

How do bearded dragons reproduce?

When a male agamid courts a female, he spreads his beard and vigorously nods his head. The female presses herself to the ground and responds with nods and circular movements of her front legs.

Then both mate several times. The male holds the female with a bite on the neck. 23 to 44 days later the female lays eggs in the ground – or, if the animals live in the terrarium, under a piece of cork bark. The eggs are two to three centimeters long and weigh between 1.6 and three grams.

Each female lays between 10 and 26 eggs. After laying, the female digs up the egg pit and piles up a mound of earth 15 to 20 centimeters high. But then it takes a long time for the young to hatch. The five to eight-centimeter-long bearded dragon babies only crawl out of the egg after 148 to 154 days. You have to manage on your own because bearded dragons don’t do any brood care.

Care

What do bearded dragons eat?

Bearded dragons eat a variety of foods. In the wild, they eat insects and plants. In the terrarium, too, they should be fed mainly with wild plants.

Keeping bearded dragons

Bearded dragons are relatively common in terrariums, although they are quite demanding. You need a large enclosure – at least 150 x 80 x 80 centimeters. The bigger the better! The soil should be thickly covered with a sand and loam mixture that they can also dig in. In addition, climbing and hiding places such as pieces of root, rocks, or cork bark are important.

The temperature must be 22 to 26°C during the day, at night it can drop to 20 to 23°C. Humidity should be 30 to 40 percent during the day and can rise to 60 percent at night. It is important to have a heat lamp in an area of the terrarium under which the animals can sunbathe and warm up. Bearded dragons prefer to live alone: They are not sociable animals in nature either, but strict loners.