Bearded Dragon
Pogona vitticeps

Reptiles Alive Name: "Mr. & Mrs. Beardie"

Hissstory: Mrs. Beardie was donated to us by former RA staff person Jennifer Rafter in 2001. Mr. Beardie was an unwanted pet that came to live with us in 2006.

RA Diet: Both of our beardies like to eat: crickets, super worms, roaches, dead mice, greens, fruits and dry food made for bearded dragons.

Natural Diet: Bearded dragons are omnivores - so they eat both meat and plants. Insects, small animals, greens, fruits, and flowers are all part of their diet in the wild.

Range: Central Australia.

Habitat: Bearded dragons live in the "Outback" - desert and open woodland where they bask on branches and rocks.

Size: Bearded dragons are medium sized lizards that can grow to 16 - 22 inches long.

Lifespan: Bearded dragons can live over 10 years.

Reproduction: Female bearded dragons lay 11-30 oval eggs in a shallow nest dug in the sand. The babies will hatch about two months later.

Conservation: Australia has banned the exportation of its native wildlife for the pet trade, so any bearded dragons sold as pets in the United States have been captively bred here.

Cool Facts: When threatened, bearded dragons puff out their spiky bodies and throat so they become bigger and spikier! Predators will usually avoid the sore throat they would get from swallowing such a prickly meal.