A beard that turns black
When it is alarmed or showing off, it puffs out the spiny skin of its throat, which turns dark, even black.
The outback
Central bearded dragon
Pogona vitticeps
A broad, flat, sandy-coloured lizard with spines along its sides and a spiky throat it can puff out like a beard.
- Size
- About 45 to 60cm long, half of it tail
- Look for it
- September to December, then January to April
- Where
- Dry woodland, scrub and desert of central and eastern Australia
Scurries after you, and puffs out its beard. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Bearded dragon
Good to know
Six things about the bearded dragon
It waves
A bearded dragon lifts one front leg and circles it slowly, like a wave. It is a way of saying: I see you, and I am no threat.
Head bobbing
Males bob their heads up and down quickly to show who is in charge.
A sunbather
It basks on a fence post, a rock or a branch to warm up in the morning, and changes shade to soak up more or less heat.
A third eye
A small pale spot on top of its head senses light and shadow, which warns it of a bird overhead.
It eats almost anything
Insects, flowers, leaves and fruit all go down. Young ones eat mostly insects and adults mostly plants.
The real thing
Photos of the bearded dragon
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Look on fence posts, logs and roadside rocks on warm mornings in the outback. It sits very still, head up, and relies on not being noticed.
How to help
Bearded dragons are popular pets, and all of those are bred in captivity: Australia does not allow wild ones to be exported. If you keep one, it needs heat, proper lighting and space.
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