Bearded dragon natural history

Bearded dragon natural history
The story of the world’s most popular pet reptile begins in Australia. The inland bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps) is found in central Australia inhabiting arid and semi-arid forests, scrubland, and grasslands. It is a species of agamid lizard (family Agamidae). Beardies can grow to 24” in length for males and 20” in length for females and weigh between 280-510 grams. Physical characteristics of bearded dragons include:
• Broad, triangular shaped heads
• Laterally flattened bodies
• Visible spiny scales found in rows and clusters
• Spiny beards which can be inflated if the animal feels threatened (where the dragon gets its common name)
These medium-sized lizards are semi-arboreal and can be seen basking in the sun on anything from low trees and bushes to fence posts and houses and have been seen digging burrows to escape extreme temperature changes (too hot or too cold) and will brumate or aestivate to avoid the worst weather.
The bearded dragon is one of 8 species of Pogona lizards found in Australia:
• Pogona vitticeps – the inland bearded dragon
• P. barbata – the coastal bearded dragon
• P. henrylawsoni – the rankins dragon
• P. microlepidota – the Drysdale river bearded dragon
• P. minima – the western bearded dragon
• P. minor – the dwarf bearded dragon
• P. mitchelli – Mitchell’s bearded dragon
• P. nullabor – the banded bearded dragon
An opportunistic omnivore, the bearded dragon will have a very broad diet in the wild. Feasting on insects and arachnids (including scorpions), rodents and nesting birds, but also enjoying seasonal greens, flowers, and the occasional ripe piece of fruit. In 2005 it was discovered that bearded dragons secrete a mild venom from glands found in the mouth. This venom is not dangerous to humans but is used to paralyse small prey such as birds and rodents. Bearded dragons (like many species of lizards) possess a pineal or third eye. This organ senses changes in light levels and shadow (helping to avoid attack from predators) aids in thermoregulation and triggers hormone production.

Humble beginnings
Bearded dragons first arrived in the exotic pet trade during the 1980s when a small group were smuggled from Australia to Germany. All of the bearded dragons found in captivity today can be traced back to this group of animals 45 years ago. From this group of animals there are now 20 different morphs of bearded dragons (morphs being colours, patterns, and scale texture) some of these include:
• Hypomelanism or hypos – more vibrant and lighter colours
• Translucent or trans – opaque, stronger colours
• Leatherbacks – reduced scale texture and smoother skin
• Tigers – striped patterning and colours
• Zeros – smoky grey to white colouration
The bearded dragon’s docile nature, availability and comparative ease of care has made it the most popular pet reptile in the world today.
Why do they do that?
Pet bearded dragons can and do exhibit many different behaviours. From head bobbing to glass surfing and gaping. Here we will outline what your dragon is trying to say:
• Arm waving – this is used by both sexes to show submission. Particularly used by hatchlings and juveniles to say ‘I’m a baby! I’m not a threat! Please don’t eat me!’
• Head bobbing – can be used for many different reasons. Mostly used by adult males as a show of dominance or to signal a challenge. Males will bob at females and stamp their feet. Some adults will head bob at juveniles as a show of dominance, or two adult males may bob at each other as a threat and/or warning. This is often accompanied by…
• The extended beard – bearded dragons can inflate and darken their beard at will. This is done when the animal is upset, angry, not feeling well or wishes to show dominance.
• Changing colours – while not as impressive as chameleons or anoles, bearded dragons can change their colours. They do this to show stress, illness, or an emotion. They will darken if threatened and also use this as a method of temperature control, darker to absorb heat and lighter to reflect it.
• Glass surfing – bearded dragons will sometimes glass surf, pressing themselves against the glass trying to climb it. This can be taken as a sign of boredom or stress. You will need to look into what is bothering your dragon. Enclosure size, too little enrichment, or an external change that has upset your animal. Gravid females will also glass surf when they are close to laying.
• Gaping – there may be occasions when you see your bearded dragon sitting with its mouth open and its eyes closed. This is a method used to cool down, a dragon’s version of panting. They are controlling their temperature to avoid moving.
• Digging – both males and females will dig. This is natural behaviour and can be a sign of a happy dragon. Females will also dig when they are preparing to lay eggs.
• Eye bulging – this is a perfectly natural behaviour used by many species of lizards. This is due to the animal shedding its skin and attempting to loosen it by extending its eyes.
• Tail twitching – tail twitching is most often seen when the dragon is hunting. You may notice that the tip of the tail begins swishing as the dragon focuses on the movement of the insects. This is a precursor to striking at the prey.
These are some of the most common behaviours that can be seen in your bearded dragon and why they perform them.

Creating the perfect environment for your bearded dragon
Housing and life sustaining equipment for your bearded dragon is the most important part of the husbandry of the animal. Without the correct heating, lighting, and enclosure your bearded dragon will quickly succumb to environmental stress, disease, and an untimely death. Here at SAReptiles, the first thing we recommend is an appropriately sized, wooden vivarium. We stress wooden vivarium as wood is an excellent insulator, and in our cooler climate, heat retention is essential. Appropriately sized will depend on the age, sex, and temperament of your bearded dragon. The life-giving equipment you will need to provide and maintain is as follows:
• Thermostatically controlled, light emitting heat source
• 10-12% UV lighting (Ferguson zone 3)
• Substrate
• Decorations and enrichment
This is the basics of what you need to maintain a bearded dragon in captivity. The placement of the heat source and UV lighting is crucial in the building of the bearded dragon’s enclosure.
As with all reptiles’, bearded dragons are ectothermic. They cannot generate their own heat and need to get their metabolic energy from external sources. Bearded dragons, being a diurnal (daylight active) species, will get the majority of their metabolic energy from the sun. They will bask until they have reached their optimum temperature and begin looking for food, looking for a mate or retreating from the sun to maintain their temperature.
This is why a light emitting heat source is so important for bearded dragons, they naturally look for light to warm themselves. Placement of the heat source should be on one side of the vivarium to allow for a high to low temperature gradient. A temperature gradient is a hot spot on one side of the vivarium, with the temperature dropping as you move away from the heat source. By creating this environment, you allow the dragon the opportunity to thermoregulate (being able to control their body temperature by moving from a hot to a cool climate).
UV lighting is essential for all diurnal lizards. Bearded dragons are no different. Due to the nature of the animal, where and how the dragons evolved, they will require a high exposure UV of desert specification 10-12%. Bearded dragons, like almost every other species of reptile on the planet, use UV rays to synthesis vitamin D3 in their skin. Vitamin D3 allows the animal to metabolise calcium and aid in strong bone growth, healthy jaws and teeth, shedding, healthy skin, and scales. The placement and size of the UV bulb is critical for the health of the bearded dragon. The size of the bulb will need to be 50-80% the total size of the enclosure (for example, a 36” enclosure will need a 24” UV bulb) and the placement of the bulb should be on the ceiling or the rear wall of the vivarium. We advise the use of a reflector if mounted on the rear wall of the enclosure so to not lose the concentration of the light. You should provide a spot in the enclosure that the dragon can escape both heat and light if it should choose to, just as they would naturally. This allows the dragon a place to hide that makes them feel more secure.
We, at SAReptiles, see the benefit of more naturalistic enclosures for all our animals. We like to compliment the life sustaining equipment the bearded dragons require with rocks, branches, dried grasses, leaf litter, naturalistic substrates, and hides. Using these items, you can create basking spots, hides, climbing opportunities and vantage points.
We use the animal’s natural environment as a reference and, once we have built in the life sustaining equipment, will replicate it as closely as possible. We have used and created for some of our customers enclosures with the following themes:
• Arid or semi-arid woodland
• Arid scrubland
• Arid grassland
• Hard packed desert
• Rocky outcrops
All of these can be created relatively inexpensively, but with stunning visual affect and enrichment for the bearded dragon.
The best pet lizard?

Bearded dragon natural history – Conclusion #

Bearded dragons are the world’s most popular pet reptile for good reason. They make wonderful interactive pets that enjoy handling and time spent with their keepers. They are docile and even tempered (although they possess sharp claws that will unintentionally scratch when they are handled). They are relatively easy to maintain in a captive environment and are inexpensive to feed. They are hardy animals that (as long as they are receiving the correct husbandry) will require little to no veterinarian care. They have a good average lifespan, and they are adorable!
There are very few downsides to keeping bearded dragons as we at SAReptiles can attest.

Not sure about keeping Bearded Dragons? Contact us and a member of our friendly reptile team will happily answer all of your questions.

Why not check out our YouTube channel for some cool videos on our reptiles and helpful tips on husbandry!