Species, Characteristics, and Behavior...
This is the common name for any Agamid lizard in the genus Pogona, all of
which come from Australia. There are 8 known species and their individual
and approximate range is listed on the map. The maps were sourced Sidney's
Bearded Dragon Pages and the colors match up with the numbers in the name
list. If you would like more information and pictures for each species, please
click on one of the eight scientific names listed below.
- Pogona Minor:
Dwarf Bearded Dragon
- Pogona Barbata: Eastern
or Common
- Pogona Henrylawsoni:
Black Soil or Lawson's
- Pogona Microlepidota:
Kimberly, or Drydale
- Pogona Mitchelli:
Northwest Bearded Dragon
- Pogona Nullarbor:
Nullarbor Bearded Dragon
- Pogona Minima: Western
Bearded Dragon
- Pogona Vitticeps:
Central or Inland
In recent years Pogona Vitticeps, or the inland bearded dragon,
has become fairly popular in the pet trade. I'd say their demeanor is perfect
for it too; they're such pleasant little critters, they can make great pets
even for children when their care is also supervised by an adult.
They're pretty easy to breed in captivity, they're very passive, they're
fairly hardy, their diet and living requirements are simple when compared
to many other pet lizards, they can be quite social, and some almost do seem
to enjoy being held. Because of all this it's no surprise to me that we're
seeing more and more of them.
It's very rare to have an aggressive, fearful, or skittish bearded dragon
if it's healthy. The most common color is their wild coloration; a patchwork
variety of light and dark tans. But due to breeding practices there are now
many types; reds, oranges, yellows, even whites and the beginning of lilacs.
They can also change their coloration slightly. It seems to depend on their
mood and temperature; they stay within the same range of color but can get
a bit lighter or darker.
(add pictures of color morphs)
Male Pogona Vitticeps are typically between -- and -- inches and -- pounds.
Females can be the same or just slightly smaller. In Germany some were bred
to be huge. And while this can occur in nature, pure bred, or cross-breeds
of these, German Giants can reach reported sizes of --- and weights of ---.
Their skin is very leathery and their spikes are actually a part of their
skin... Unlike many lizards, they often shed in parts, or sections. Seldom
loosing all their old skin at once. More coming later...
I also hear there are two basic personality types, and I seem to have both
at the moment (sisters from the same clutch actually.) One is more wild, it
loves to run after food and skitter around to look at everything, but it's
also more flighty and and figity- making it harder to handle outside of the
cage. The other is the more laid back, I'll eat it if it's in front of me,
I'd love to ride on your shoulder type. Both are fun to have.
There are many varying opinions on keeping multiple dragons together but
really, IMO, it's probably best that you only keep one dragon per cage. In
the wild they don't hang out together or anything, they may meet up, display
or mate, and then head separate ways. If you don't have a large enclosure,
they may not be able to escape from another's aggression, or to get to the
best basking spot, or they may get intimidated and not eat as much. But if
you just have to have more than one in setup, I seem to believe that keeping
females together, without males to pester them, is the best option. Males
bite the skin on the back of the females necks when they want to breed- and
I don't know, it just seems like it would be really unpleasant to have this
happening all the time. I have feeling that, if you have a very large enclosure
for them, then less of this pestering would occur though. I'm reluctant to
give advice on this because I don't have much personal experience with multiple
dragons... But at least do your research before you go this route. Oh, and
never put a small and large dragon together, anything smaller than themselves
can always be considered food.
(picture of group)
More coming soon: Some things you may only see when they are kept together
though are their natural behaviors of arm waving and head bobbing. These are
quite cute. Digging is common, they like sand, and they need it when nesting.
See the breeding and sexing section for
more mating behavior. A state of semi-hibernation/dormancy, called Brumation,
is also somewhat common in the winter months. It doesn't happen to all dragons,
but it has happened to with two of mine so far.
(picture of arm waving)
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