Bearded Dragon

Description:

The harsh, spiky appearance of these lizards belie their normally placid temperament. If approached in the wild, the bearded dragon's usual response is to freeze and rely on its camouflage. If further threatened they puff themselves up, extend the 'beard' under the throat and open the mouth wide to reveal the bright yellow lining. If picked up, they will continue to struggle but will rarely bite. At a total length of around 55cm, the grey-brown eastern bearded dragon is an impressive animal.

Habitat:

Distributed the length of the eastern quarter of Australia, eastern bearded dragons are common in open forests, heathland, scrub and even some disturbed areas such as farmland. Their main requirement are trees that they can utilize for escape, sun-baking or to simply survey their territory. If trees are in short supply, they will use fence posts as an alternative, jumping to the ground to catch a passing insect or to chase off an intruding bearded dragon.