Bearded dragons are lizards that reside within the deserts, savannas, scrublands, and subtropical forests of Australia. Because of their pleasant demeanor, everlasting smiles, and idle nature, they’re additionally generally stored as pets worldwide. And, whereas many individuals are aware of the bearded dragon, some quirky info about these lizards may be shocking.
It’s possible you’ll know that bearded dragons get their identify from the spikelike projections on their necks; as such, reptile hobbyists affectionately confer with them as “beardies.” Some info about these fascinating lizards are usually not frequent information, nevertheless. For instance, there are eight species of bearded dragon, plus a spread of colours and “morphs” developed by means of captive breeding. The six species of bearded dragon assessed by the IUCN, up to now, all have secure populations of their native mainland Australia and are classed as species of least concern.
Uncover extra concerning the mild bearded dragon, together with the lizard’s superb capability to shift between sexes and its completely weird powder urine.
Quick Information
Widespread Identify: Bearded dragon
Scientific Identify: Pogona
Common Lifetime within the Wild: as much as 10 years
Common Lifetime in Captivity: 7 to fifteen years
IUCN Purple Record Standing: Least concern
Present Inhabitants: Unknown
1. Bearded Dragons Can Climb Bushes
Though wild bearded dragons are principally terrestrial, they’re technically semi-arboreal and may change into professional tree climbers when wanted—say, when meals is unavailable at floor degree or when a predator is pursuing them. As avid baskers, they will additionally scale bushes for an excellent patch of solar or to point out dominance by basking at a better degree than one other bearded dragon.
2. They Put on Their Feelings on Their Chins
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These dragons’ signature beard behaves virtually like a temper ring, going black when the animal feels threatened, harassed, or aroused. Throughout these numerous emotional states, its beard also can develop and the dragon can puff up its complete physique to look large. In a peaceful and completely happy state, the pouch underneath a beardie’s chin will probably be equally coloured to the remainder of its physique with spines that relaxation flat in opposition to its pores and skin.
3. They Are Legally Sure to Their Homeland
Australia has prohibited the export of its wildlife, together with bearded dragons, because the ’60s. But, even after that date—between 1974 and 1990, some have estimated—a inventory of bearded dragons was smuggled in another country for captive breeding.
Now, home variations of the Aussie lizard may be discovered all world wide (besides Hawaii, the place they’re unlawful to personal due to the menace they pose to the native ecosystem). Although not confirmed, there are believed to be about 900 bearded dragons residing in zoos globally.
4. Bearded Dragons Can Regrow Their Enamel
The power to regenerate enamel is a high quality shared by many reptiles. Bearded dragons are distinctive, although, in that they’ve each polyphyodont and monophyodont enamel, even on the identical jawline. The dragons use an analogous organic course of to what sharks and geckos use to regrow their polyphyodont entrance enamel over time; if the monophyodont chompers fall out, they’re gone for good.
5. They Gather Water on Their Heads
The desert the place bearded dragons come from is a droughty place, and animals adapt to the arid atmosphere with quirky methods of capturing and storing water. For the Pogona genus, of which the bearded dragon belongs, a type of methods is by capturing water by itself physique throughout uncommon bouts of rain. These lizards have been noticed standing on their hind legs with their heads sloping downward, lapping up the water because it streams down their faces for 20 to half-hour at a time.
6. Females Can Retailer Sperm for Later
Bearded dragons can lay two clutches of 11 to 30 eggs per season after having mated solely as soon as. Females have an uncommon capability to retailer sperm of their reproductive tracts after which fertilize the eggs themselves as long as that sperm is put to make use of inside the identical breeding interval. This enables the feminine to maximise offspring whereas minimizing mating, which the male usually makes violent by biting his mate’s neck. Bearded dragons attain sexual maturity at one to 2 years of age.
7. Bearded Dragons Talk With Nods and Waves
Bearded dragons are beloved for his or her anthropomorphic physique language—specifically head bobbing and arm waving. The rationale for these motions is not completely understood, however specialists consider the waving to be an emblem of submission to a dominant particular person. The top bobbing, conversely, is probably going an indication of dominance; it is also exhibited by each sexes to provoke mating.
Particularly humanlike are the examples bearded dragon keepers give of their beardies waving seemingly cordially to them. It is a sensitive topic, although, as some argue that the wave is an indicator of stress.
8. They Can Change Shade Like Chameleons
Bearded dragons’ shade-shifting habits are a bit totally different from these of the chameleon. For starters, the chameleon’s evolving colours are extra distinguished than the bearded dragon’s, but additionally, the bearded dragon can isolate components of the physique it needs to alter shade. Analysis has linked shade adjustments within the neck area to social interactions and adjustments to paint within the again space to temperature regulation.
In sunny circumstances, the bearded dragon will change into lighter to replicate rays. In cooler climate, it would flip darker to assist it take in the warmth and preserve its best inside physique temperature of 95 levels.
9. They Can Sleep Standing Up
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Boards within the beardie-owning neighborhood are awash with anecdotes about pet dragons sleeping in extremely awkward positions, like propped up in opposition to the glass partitions and ornaments inside their tanks. It is mentioned that they sleep vertically within the wild too, usually up in opposition to bushes.
Though it is unclear why they might deviate from their typical and presumably extra snug belly-down sleeping place, upright snoozing does not appear to be any trigger for concern.
10. They Can Run at Human Pace
The bearded dragon’s prime pace, believed to be 9 mph, compares to human working speeds. The lizard hardly ever runs this quick, as an alternative main a principally sedentary life-style general. When the time does name for quickness, although, the bearded dragon would possibly increase up on its rear legs and run like a human. As a result of it carries extra weight at the back of the physique, being upright helps the dragon optimize its pace.
11. Male Beardies Change into Females in Heat Temperatures
Research have discovered that male bearded dragons subjected to temperatures 96.8 levels and above throughout embryonic improvement transition to females 100% of the time. Not solely are they able to intercourse reversal, however feminine beardies that had been initially males (trans beardies, they could possibly be decided) also can produce twice as many eggs as non-trans females.
Despite the fact that bearded dragon populations are at present secure, this heat-driven phenomenon raises concern across the reptile’s capability to adapt to local weather change, one research mentioned.
12. They Like Their Alone Time
Bearded dragon keepers needn’t wonder if their scaly associates are lonely of their tanks all by themselves. Relaxation assured they are not; the reptiles are solitary creatures that will reside in colonies consisting of 1 male and a number of females within the wild however in the end shouldn’t be put in a captive setting with one other.
13. They Pee Powder
One of many oddest traits of the bearded dragon is the best way it urinates. As a substitute of peeing liquid, it releases uric acid within the type of a white powder or chalky paste—referred to as “urate”—which it has developed to do as a method of retaining water within the scorching, dry Australian wild. It excretes urates by means of a cloaca, the identical cavity from which feces come out.
14. Bearded Dragons Brumate within the Winter
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Brumation is a dormancy interval much like hibernation. Bearded dragons brumate for a number of weeks to some months—within the northern hemisphere the indicators begin round November, however within the wild, beardies begin brumating in June, when winter hits Australia.
Brumation begins with sluggishness and a lack of urge for food and leads into an extended sleep the place the dragon’s coronary heart price, physique temperature, and metabolism will all lower considerably to preserve vitality.
15. They Can Carry Salmonella (and Move It Onto Folks)
Reptiles, usually, are identified to hold salmonella germs of their digestive tracts. After all, after they defecate, the micro organism can switch to their pores and skin after which onto people the place reptiles are being often dealt with. Within the U.S., the Facilities for Illness Management retains tabs on salmonella outbreaks throughout all pet species, and bearded dragons are a recurring supply. In June 2022, for instance, one outbreak brought on 56 folks to change into unwell and 19 hospitalized throughout 26 states.
The animal welfare group PETA factors to this—and their solitary nature, and “rampant abuse and neglect” inside the beardie commerce—as main the reason why the animals shouldn’t be stored as pets.
