Inland Bearded Dragon
Taxonomy
Order: Squamata
Family: Agamidae
Genus/species: Pogona vitticeps
Description
Inland bearded dragons are 13 to 24 inches (33 to 61 cm)
long, including the tail. They are appropriately named
bearded dragons because of their beard, an expandable
dewlap with spiky scales. They have a broad, triangular
head, round bodies, stout legs, and robust tails. Color
for this species depends on the soil of the region they
live in, ranging from dull brown to tan with red or gold
highlights.
Adult bearded dragons are territorial. As they grow, they establish social hierarchies in which aggressive and appeasement displays form a normal part of their social interactions. The beard is used for both mating and aggression displays. Both sexes have a beard, but males display more frequently, especially in courtship rituals. Females will, however, display their beard as a sign of aggression also. The beard turns dark to jet black and inflates during the display. The bearded dragon may also open its mouth and gape in addition to inflating its beard to appear more intimidating.
Another interesting behavior is arm waving. The bearded dragon stands on three legs and waves one of its forelimbs in a slow circular pattern. One function of arm waving seems to be species recognition. Arm waving is also used to show submission. A small bearded dragon responds with arm waving when confronted with a larger, more dominant bearded dragon. Females also arm wave to avoid aggression from males, especially if the male is head bobbing.
Head bobbing is when the male quickly bobs its head up and down, often with a darkened beard. The male head bobs to show dominance to both smaller insubordinate males and females that he would like to mate with.
Distribution and Habitat
Found only in Australia, bearded dragons are widely distributed
throughout the interior of the eastern states to the eastern
half of South Australia and southeastern Northern Territory.
They occupy a variety of habitats including subtropical woodlands, scrublands, savannas, shore areas, and into the great interior deserts.
Diet in the Wild
Bearded dragons are opportunistic omnivores. They live in
areas where food may be hard to find, so bearded dragons
are not finicky eaters. Their stomachs are large to accommodate
large quantities of plant matter, insects, spiders, and
the occasional small rodent or lizard; about 20 percent
of their total diet is plant matter.
Zoo Diet
They are fed salad and crickets a few times a week.
Reproduction
Inland bearded dragons reach sexual maturity at one to two
years of age. Breeding season is during the warm summer
months of September through March. To mate, a male climbs
on top of a female and bites into the side of her neck.
He then reaches with his hind legs for the female's
tail, and presses his cloacal region against hers. Females
dig a burrow and lay up to 24 eggs per clutch, and up to
nine clutches per year. Females have also been known to
store sperm and are able to lay many clutches of fertile
eggs from one mating. The ellipsoidal eggs are .7 to one
inches (1.8 to 2.5 cm) in length and the shells are parchment-like.
Incubation is 50 to 70 days and hatchlings are three to
four inches (7.6 to 10.2 cm) long.
Life Span
They may live about ten years in zoos.
Status
They are neither threatened nor endangered.
Fun Facts
Since the 1960s, Australia has strictly prohibited exports
of any native wildlife. It is believed that the "founder
stock" of captive bred bearded dragons found outside
of Australia today were smuggled out of the country
between 1974 and 1990.
Source of Information
All or part of this information was provided by the 
Animal Diversity Web and Museum of Zoology of the University of Michigan.
It appears here with their permission. The original author of this information was Jennifer Periat.
For more information, including references, see the Animal Diversity Web account for this species, here:
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/ site/ accounts/ information/ Pogona_vitticeps.html.
