Western bearded dragon
| Western bearded dragon | ||||||||||||
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Western bearded dragon ( Pogona minor ) |
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| Pogona minor | ||||||||||||
| ( Sternfeld , 1919) |
The western bearded dragon or dwarf bearded dragon ( Pogona minor ) is a lizard belonging to the genus of bearded dragons ( Pogona ). Its scientific name indicates the rather small overall body length compared to other bearded dragons (lat. Minor = "smaller").
The Pogona henrylawsoni is mainly referred to as the dwarf bearded dragon .
features
Pogona minor reaches a total length of about 375 mm, which is composed of a body length of 149 mm and a tail length of 229 mm. Outwardly it is very similar to Pogona barbata . Instead of a beard, it only has small prickly scales in the throat area that cannot be set up. There are other small spines on the head. The ear openings are triangular, and the body is flattened dorsoventrally . The bearded dragon is gray-brown with several lighter large spots. The throat is dark gray to black in color, the underside of the body is white-grayish. P. minor often shows a diamond-like pattern ; here enlarged keeled scales are interspersed in finer scales. The tail is banded rather inconspicuously. Above the shoulder, all juveniles, but also many adult specimens, have a dark spot. A regular row of spiky scales can be seen on the sides. The color of the oral mucosa varies: wild caught have a yellow, offspring a pink oral mucosa. There are also regional differences: around Gerealton and Mullewa the animals have relatively long snouts and tails. In addition, the males are colored yellow on the sides of the head. In the vicinity of Norseman , more compactly built animals with wider heads and strong head spines are common.
distribution and habitat
The western bearded dragon is widespread and inhabits almost the entire southwest of Australia . The distribution area extends in the north to the southern Pilbara , Little Sandy Desert and Gibson Desert . In addition, the islands of Barrow , Salutation and Dirk Hartog are inhabited. P. minor lives in warm, open landscapes. The species prefers to inhabit dune landscapes near the coast , in the interior it can be found in steppes , savannas, and bush or dry forests . Some specimens have also been observed in eucalyptus stands on the roadside. The animals sitting in the branches only let themselves fall in immediate danger in order to run away. The species also lives in the vegetation on Barrow Island , especially the Triodia tufted grass .
Way of life
The western bearded dragon feeds mostly on crickets and grasshoppers (29.9%), beetles (17.3%), termites (11.7%), insect larvae (8.1%) and plant material (19.3%).
The sexual maturity of the females occurs at a body length of about 90 mm. In the wild, pregnant females can be seen from mid-July to late December. In the northern part of the distribution area, eggs are laid in July, August or September, while in the southern part it does not take place until October to December. The clutch , which makes up about 19.5% of the mass of the female, contains an average of 7.6 eggs , whereby the size can vary between two and 19 eggs. Two to four such clutches are produced per season. The 20-25 mm long, 12-14 mm wide and 1.85-1.86 g heavy eggs are placed in an up to 25 cm deep cave, which is completely closed again after the eggs have been laid.
swell
- Gunther Koehler, Karsten Grießhammer, Norbert Schuster: Bearded Dragons. Biology, care, breeding, diseases. Herpeton-Verlag Köhler, Offenbach 2004, ISBN 3-936180-04-0 .
- Veronika Müller: Bearded Dragons (= your hobby. ). bede-Verlag, Ruhmannsfelden 2005, ISBN 3-898600-84-X .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Eric R. Pianka: Ecology and Natural History of Desert Lizards. Analyzes of the Ecological Niche and Community Structure. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 1986, ISBN 0-691-08148-4 .
- ↑ Eric R. Pianka: Ecology and Natural History of Desert Lizards. Analyzes of the Ecological Niche and Community Structure. Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ 1986, ISBN 0-691-08148-4 ; Allen E. Greer: The Biology and Evolution of Australian Lizards. Surrey Beatty, Chipping Norton 1989, ISBN 0-949324-21-3 .
- ↑ Brian Bush: Glue traps: an appraisal of Their use in residential areas of Perth, Western Australia. In: Herpetofauna. Vol. 22, No. 1, 1992, ISSN 0725-1424 , pp. 12-13.