Dragons
Dragons belong to the family of lizards called Agamidae. Australia
has more than 60 species of Agamids and at least 47 of these can be
found in W.A. These very alert, fast moving lizards usually have
large well developed hind legs and feed on a large variety of insects,
arachnids, fruits and veges. Some of the larger species will even feed
on small mammals and nestling birds. The exeption is one slow moving
species who specializes in feeding solely on ants (Moloch horidus)
Many species of dragons have loose folds of skin around the throat and crests on their necks. If threatened they may flatten out their bodies or stand and bloat themselves while opening the mouth wide and erecting beards or frills around the neck. Most are competent climbers and love to perch well off the ground.
Dragons can be dull or very brightly coloured (especially breeding males). The skin contains pigment cells which enable the lizard to change shades of colour quite quickly, depending on their mood or as a response to temperature changes. This varying colour range, combined with their social mannerisms make dragons extremely entertaining lizards to observe.
BEARDED DRAGON
(Pogona minor)
Description:
With a body of 15 cm & a total length of around 30 cm, the grey-brown western bearded dragons are recognised by their bearded look and their spikey bodies .
Range & Habitat:
Distributed throughout the southern half of West Australia, western bearded dragons are common in open forests, coastal dunes, scrub and even some disturbed areas such as farmland. Their main requirement are trees, shrups or even fence posts that they can utilize for perching.
Diet:
Adult bearded dragons eat a great deal of vegetable matter. Leaves, fruits, berries and flowers are all consumed. Insects and small skinks make up the balance of the adult diet and the majority of the juvenile diet.
Comments:
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 and open the mouth wide to reveal the bright yellow lining. This lizard may change colour depending on mood and body temperature. The bearded dragon is often confused with the frilled neck lizard, wich is a much larger northern Australian dragon that has a frill around the entire head.
FRILLED NECK LIZARD
(Clamydosaurus kingii)
Description:
A Large, semi-arboreal Dragon that may grow to almost one metre in total length, this is one of Australia's most distinctive and familiar lizards. Frillys, tend to spend most of their time on trunks and limbs of standing trees, but will descending occasionally to the ground to chase prey. When alarmed, it will extend its impressive frill and opens its mouth to show a bright yellow lining to scare off potential predators. They are capable of running at reasonable speeds, beginning on all-fours and then accelerating onto the hind-legs.
Range & Habitat:
In W.A they are restricted to the humid Kimberley north of 80 mile beach.
Diet:
Frilled Lizards are mostly insectivorus, feeding on a range of insects. They are also known to eat small, low nesting birds and smaller lizards, hunting prey in trees and on the ground.
Comments:
The western form tends to be more brightly coloured.
