Pogona vitticeps is the most commonly found captive bred bearded dragon species. It is believed that the "founder stock" of captive bred bearded dragons found outside of Australia today were smuggled out of the country between 19 (Grenard 1999). Since the 1960's, Australia has strictly prohibited exports of any native wildlife. With their array of social behaviors and inquisitive nature, bearded dragons quickly become endearing to their keepers (Tosney 1996). In recent years, the bearded dragon has become a favorite reptile to keep and breed because of their manageable size and pleasant temperament. They are also very popular in the pet trade. Inland bearded dragons have been used in scientific research (Wood 1995). Their stomachs are large to accommodate large quantities of plant matter, insects, and the occasional small rodent or lizard (Grenard 1999). They live in areas where food may be hard to find, so bearded dragons are not finicky eaters. Pogona vitticeps are opportunistic omnivores. The male will head bob to show dominance to both smaller insubordinate males and females that he would like to mate with (Zoffer 1997). Head bobbing is when the male quickly bobs its head up and down, often with a darkened beard. Females will also arm wave to avoid aggression from males, especially if the male is head bobbing. A small bearded dragon will respond with arm waving when confronted with a larger, more dominant bearded dragon. Arm waving is also used to show submission. One function of arm waving seems to be species recognition. It looks a lot like the bearded dragon is waving hello, or swimming using only one arm. The bearded dragon stands on 3 legs and waves one of its forelimbs in a slow circular pattern. The bearded dragon may also open its mouth and gape in addition to inflating its beard to appear more intimidating.Īnother interesting behavior is arm waving. The beard turns dark to jet black and inflates during the display. Females will, however, display their beard as a sign of aggression also. Both sexes have a beard, but males display more frequently, especially for courtship rituals. The beard of Pogona vitticeps is used for both mating and agression displays. In captive conditions, the eggs will hatch in 55 to 75 days, at 28.9 degrees Celsius (Vosjoli 1993). Females have also been known to store sperm and are able to lay many clutches of fertile eggs from one mating (Tosney 1996). Females dig a burrow and lay up to 24 eggs per clutch, and up to 9 clutches per year. However, captive indoor dragons do not seem to be seasonal and can breed year round (Grenard 1999). Mating occurs in the Australian spring and summer months of September to March. Inland Bearded dragons reach sexual maturity at 1 to 2 years of age. 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 (Tosney 1996). They have a broad, triangular head, round bodies, stout legs, and robust tails. They are appropriately named bearded dragons because of their "beard," an expandable throat pouch with spikey scales. Inland Bearded Dragons are 13 to 24 inches long, including the tail. It is a semiarboreal lizard that can be found basking on fallen branches, fence posts and picnic tables (Grenard 1999). Pogona vitticeps occupies a large range of habitats from the desert to dry forests and scrublands. They are found from the eastern half of south Australia to the southeastern Northern Territory (Grenard 1999). Pogona vitticeps has a wide natural distribution in eastern and central Australia.
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