Transcript Bearded Dragon “Pogona vitticeps”

Bearded Dragon “Pogona
vitticeps”
Physical
Description
-Vertebrate
-Tan to yellow in color
-Spines on its throat
-head is wedge shaped
-Tail is almost as long as its
body
-Ruff skin
-Grow up to 2 feet long
It is called “bearded” because of the
dragon’s ability to flare out the skin in the
throat region when it is threatened or
territorial.
Diet
-Omnivorous:
means all-eater,
eats things like
plants, animals,
algae and fungi.
-Chopped meat
-Leafy greens
-Squash
-Crickets
-Mice
-Turnip greens
Habitat
-Lives in Australia
-Lives in arid
woodlands or
deserts of central
Australia
-Will burrow
underground when
its too hot.
Range
-Live throughout
Australia except
the extreme
North.
-The North is a
tropical climate
and not suited
for the Bearded
Dragon.
Adaptations
The “beard” itself is helpful because
the bearded dragon can appear
larger to scare away predators. The
beard is an “inflatable” area on its
neck that can be changed to a jet
black color. This adaptation adds to
its defense abilities.
Social gestures are another main
adaptations of the bearded
because they are very social
animals. For example, bearded
dragons wave to show their
submission, or bob their head to show
that they are challenging one
another.
Since water can usually be pretty
scarce in its environment, the
bearded dragon rarely drinks from
water sources instead it gets all its
water needs from the prey it eats.
Life Cycle
-Can live
up to ten
years
Reproduction
-Reach sexual
maturity and start
to breed
between 8 and
18 months
-Females lay
about 20 eggs in
a clutch
-Fertile eggs will
hatch in 55-75
days
Behavior
-Likes to climb
-When
threatened
they bob their
heads, flatten
their body and
puffs out their
throat.
Enemies
-Large lizards
like Komodo
Dragons
-Dingoes
-Birds of prey
Classification
Common Name: Bearded Dragon
Scientific Name: Pogona vitticeps
Domain: Eukarya- Contains cells with a nuclear
organelle
Kingdom: Animalia- Multi-cellular, mitochondrial
heterotroph
Phylum: Chordata- Possesses a notochord
Class: Reptilia: Cold-blooded, air-breathing and
completely ossified skeleton
Order: Squamata: Skull with two pairs of
temporal openings
Family: Agamidae: True lizard, which includes
chameleons and geckos
Genus: Pogona: Bearded lizard, omnivorous, lives
in semiarid habitat
Species: Pogona Vitticeps
Interesting
Facts
-Fireflies are toxic
and will kill the
Bearded Dragon
quickly because
they contain
phosphorous
-CANNOT eat
iceberg lettuce
-CANNOT eat dates
-They like attention
and have
personalities.
Resources
Grenard, S. 1999. The bearded dragon: an owner's guide to a happy
healthy pet. Howell book house:1-128.
Pope, C. 1956. The reptile world. Alfred a knopf:286.
Schaerlaeken, V., J. Meyers and A. Herrel. 2007. Modulation of prey
capture kinematics and the role of lingual sensory feedback in the lizard
Pogona vitticeps. Zoology May2007:127-138.
Zoo.org 2008. <URL:http://www.zoo.org/factsheets/bearded_d
ragon/inlandBeardedDragon.html>. Accessed 30 March 2008.