Bearded dragon

Pogona minor

SUBFAMILY

Agaminae

TAXONOMY

Pogona minor Sternfeld, 1919, Hermannsburg, Northern Territory, Australia.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

None known.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The bearded dragon is a medium-size, grayish to dark gray lizard with splotches of cream.

DISTRIBUTION

It is distributed through the central deserts of Australia.

HABITAT

These lizards occur in a variety of habitats, including red sandy deserts and shrub acacia woodlands.

BEHAVIOR

Bearded dragons are semiarboreal, often using perches as basking sites and vantage points. They have a distinctive throat pouch, which is extended in defensive displays, but they do not appear to defend territories.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

These sit-and-wait ambush foragers prey on grasshoppers, beetles, termites, and insect larvae.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

The average clutch size of 73 females was reported as 7.6 eggs.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Not threatened.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

Bearded dragons are popular in the pet trade and often are kept and bred in captivity.