Interesting Facts About Bearded Dragons? 100+ Facts

Bearded dragons were introduced to the United States during the 1990s. It can be found almost in all pet shops in America ever since, as one of the most popular reptiles. The most popular bearded dragon in the US is called the Inland or Central Bearded Dragon.

Here is a list of 100+ interesting bearded dragon facts.

Facts About Bearded Dragon Anatomy & Physiology

1. Bearded Dragons are naturally found in Australia. They live in hot arid climates, such as semi-desert areas and dry woodland.

2. They are called “bearded dragons” because they can enlarge their throats (which resemble a beard) whenever they feel threatened.

3. They are scientifically known as Pogona which is a subspecies of the Agaminae family of lizards which are then part of the Agamidae species.

4. There are 9 species of Pogona / Bearded Dragon although some could be classed as the same since only the location of habitat varies.

5. Bearded dragons are medium-sized lizards that are generally 12 – 24 inches in length from head to tail.

6. Their tail makes up almost half their overall length.

7. A bearded dragon is a diurnal animal. This means that as humans, they are active during the day and sleep at night.

8. Bearded Dragons are semi-arboreal, they love to climb and jump as well as burrow.

9. Most bearded dragons enjoy a warm bath.

10. While there is little water in their habitat they do actually enjoy swimming/ wading in shallow water nearly as much as they enjoy pooing in it!

11. Bearded dragons swim by inflating their bodies with air for buoyancy. Their swimming motion resembles that of a crocodile.

12. Their average lifespan is around 5 – 8 years. Pogona Vitticeps, the most common pet specie can live for up to 10 years. Life span is significantly reduced in poor habitats or constant breeding.

13. They can grow to up to 60cm / 24 inches in captivity.

14. Male dragons are usually larger than female dragons.

15. Female bearded dragons can measure up to 20 inches.

16. The bearded dragon’s tail is almost as long as its body.

17. A newborn bearded dragon weighs about 2 grams and 4 inches in length.

18. It’s very easy to tell if a bearded dragon is male or a female because of a few distinctive features. Males are usually longer than females and they have wider heads and darker beards.

19. Females have thinner and slenderer tails than males.

20. They can lay up to 150 eggs over several clutches.

21. Females tend their eggs until they hatch.

22. The female can store sperm to use when she has eggs to fertilize them.

23. A mother beardie may try to eat her hatchlings in the wild.

24. Unlike other lizards, pet bearded dragons mate all year round except during brumation. They do have a mating season in the wild.

25. Bearded dragons are able to breed throughout the year. They don’t have any specific breeding seasons.

26. Bearded dragons usually reach their sexual maturity between 8 to 18 months of age.

27. Bearded dragons greet other members of the group in a unique way. They stand on three legs while rotating the remaining leg in the air. They do the same when showing submission in front of a more dominant male.

28. Beardies are exothermic and regulate temperature through their mouths.

29. They can flatten their body and enlarge their throats when they feel threatened.

30. Bearded dragons can regulate their body temperature by changing the shades of their color of the skin from dark to light and vice versa.

31. Large lizards, birds of prey, and dingoes are bearded dragons’ main predators.

32. Unlike other lizards, bearded dragons cannot detach their tails when they try to escape predators.

33. In the wild, when threatened, bearded dragons often stand on their hind legs to run from the threat.

34. Bearded dragons have sharp and serrated teeth.

35. Unlike other lizards, if a bearded dragon loses his/her tail or other parts of the body, except its front teeth, it will not regrow.

36. A bearded dragon can lose its front teeth when trying to grab or tear apart its prey. But it can grow back.

37. Bearded dragons can be born with two heads (bicephalic) and live with them.

38. Their mouth has an organ called vomeronasal or Jacobson’s organ connecting to the nasal cavity to sense smell.

39. They lick the environment with their tongue to familiarize themselves.

40. Incubation temperatures can alter the sex of a bearded dragon. Extreme high temperatures can change developing embryos with male chromosomes into females.

41. Bearded dragons are not very good runners. They can run only 9 miles per hour.

42. These lizards can lift off their front legs and run on their back legs. This way they are able to run faster and are more maneuverable with their back legs.

43. It has been known for them to run on their hind legs, although this is claimed to be seen in the wild – I have yet to see it.

44. They can enjoy a nap while standing on their hind legs. They lock their hind legs, lean against something, and sleep!

45. When a bearded dragon is sick, its backs become black, and its legs become light yellow.

46. They share many physiological features found in other Agamid lizards as well as things such as habitat, diet, and behavior.

47. Bearded Dragons have very strong legs and can move at an astonishing rate if they need to, generally though they can only sustain short bursts.

48. They have excellent eyesight and can see prey over a fair distance.

49. They have an expansive view of prey since their eyes are placed at the sides of the head.

50. They can look and focus on prey using one eye.

51. When they shed their old skin, the new skin may have different colors and patterns.

52. Bearded dragons are able to change the color of their scales. During cold weather, they darken their scales to absorb more heat and lighten their scales in hot seasons to reflect heat.

 53. Bearded dragons secrete a mild venom that is poisonous to insects but harmless to people.

54. They differentiate between different colors with the help of rods and cones in their eyes.

55. They can collect water through their heads. They use the contours on their head to funnel the collected water into their mouths.

56. They have strong jaws that crush insects with hard shells like beetles.

57. They can capture insects with their short tongue.

58. They can carry and spread Salmonella germs.

Facts About Bearded Dragon Behaviour

59. Bearded dragons are diurnal, meaning that these lizards are active during the daytime.

60. They display a variety of communication methods between themselves such as arm waving, head bobbing, color changes, and inflating their bodies into a disc shape to face off against each other.

61. Bearded dragons wave at other lizards to acknowledge them!

62. They also wave to show submission in the presence of more giant, dominant dragons.

63. Bearded dragons recognize their keepers because they wave at them.

64. They display their affection by licking their keepers.

65. Beardies sometimes stare at their owners. This is because they are intrigued, curious, and learning.

66. To please a female dragon, males bob their heads, pound their feet on the ground, and wave their arms.

67. Male dragons use fast head bobbing to show dominance or compete with other males for a female during mating seasons

68. A slow bob accompanied by an arm wave usually indicates submission.

69. The males attack unsubmissive females

70. They hiss when threatened or when trying to defend their territory.

71. In groups, more dominant dragons will often climb and lie on top of another dragon in order to claim a basking spot.

72. They are very territorial and can be aggressive to other dragons, especially males. They will bite and nip at the toes and tails of other dragons and even attempt to steal food from another Beardies mouth.

73. Most adult dragons are docile and friendly with a good temperament, they can be quite outgoing and adventurous at times.

74. Bearded dragons are pretty sedentary.

75. They display some basic signs of intelligence, I have one dragon that recognizes the sound of a bag of locusts and another that know where the food is kept and will always attempt to break-in.

76. They love going on walks, and you can put a leash on them.

77. Lack of attention/stimulation can lead to depression.

78. A tennis ball, a mirror, and a feeder ball with live insects are great toys to stimulate a bearded dragon.

79. They can be trained through routines and patterns to reinforce desired behaviors.

80. They respond to their names, particularly when enticed with food. 

81. Bearded dragons can be potty trained.

82. Bearded dragons’ scales can convey their mood and emotions.

83. Tense and spiky scales mean the dragon is under stress. Flat, smooth scales are a sign of happiness.

84. When they feel threatened or stressed, their spikes turn black.

85. During the mating seasons, the black spikes are also an indication that the lizard is ready to mate.

86. In the wild, beardies interpret eye contact as a threat or challenge. If they face eye contact with a large predator for a long time, they usually close their eyes to escape the visual threat.

87. They also communicate their distress and discomfort by closing their eyes.

88. Their calm, gentle nature makes them fun to put clothes on.

89. Bearded Dragons do not attack when threatened. Instead, they will flee.

90. Similar to mammals they will have extended periods of rest where they shut down/ sleep for a few months, this is known as brumation.

91. They don’t like the smell of their poop.

92. They prefer pooping outside their cage.

93. Bearded dragons are intelligent creatures and can imitate the actions of other beardies.

94. Calm and soft music is pleasurable for beardies, but it can startle them too.

95. Warmer temperature slows down the bearded dragon’s learning ability.

Facts About Bearded Dragon Diet

96. The Bearded dragon is an omnivorous animal which means it can eat both plants and animals. Their favorite food includes insects, small rodents, lizards, and leafy plants.

97. They can go for weeks without eating although generally are very greedy eaters.

98. They will eat anything they can get their hands on. I have yet to find anything that a dragon won’t eat, it’s more a case of preventing them from things that they shouldn’t eat.

99. They need a supply of calcium and vitamin D3, using UVB radiation from the sunlight to help produce/metabolize it.

100. Fireflies are poisonous to bearded dragons. These insects have a harmful steroid that causes problems with their hearts.

101. Oxalic acid in avocados is harmful to bearded dragons.

102. Their digestive systems cannot process milk. Never feed your beardie milk and other dairy products.

103. Bearded dragons need UVB light to produce vitamin D in their bodies.

104. Beardies love carrots. But you should not be feeding it more than once or twice a week because it doesn’t contain sufficient amount of calcium and has a lot of Vitamin A.

Facts About Bearded Dragon’s Health

105. Some of the most common diseases in beardies include mouth rot, impaction, metabolic bone disease, respiratory infections, and adenovirus.

106. One of the common diseases in bearded dragons is impaction which is caused by a lack of lighting, calcium, and poor diet.

107. Bearded dragons need adequate humidity to stay hydrated and shed their skin.

108. Bearded Dragons dragons conserve every drop of water, including liquid urine. They excrete uric acid as a white powder.

Other Interesting Facts about Bearded Dragons

109. It is now illegal to export wild dragons outside of Australia, Bearded Dragons are now bred in captivity for sale worldwide.

110. Bearded dragons are native to Australia, found in the eastern and central parts of the country. They usually live in deserts, woodlands, savannahs, arid and rocky areas, dry forests, and scrublands.

111. Despite the pet trade, the number of bearded dragons in the wild is still stable. They are not on the list of endangered species.

112. It is illegal to own a bearded dragon in Hawaii.

Do you know any more interesting facts about bearded dragons? Let us know in the comments below.