Bearded Dragon
Pogona vitticeps
Bearded dragons earned their name through the defense mechanism they display when they feel threatened. This includes turning their chin a dark black color and puffing it up like a beard. Both male and female bearded dragons have beards. Bearded dragons can be found in eastern and central Australia and are known for having a wide range of habitats. Some of these habitats include deserts, dry forests, and scrubland. They are semi-arboreal, meaning they may enjoy climbing up on objects like branches, fence posts, and even picnic tables. Bearded dragons are known as opportunistic omnivores meaning that they will eat both meat and vegetation or whatever is most convenient. Since this species is very popular as a pet, it can negatively affect their wild populations due to desire.
Click HERE for a Bearded Dragon Activity Sheet!
Our Current Resident
Moana, Male- Hatched 2016-2017 (estimated and celebrated)
Moana was donated to ZooMontana by a volunteer in May 2020. Moana has been full of surprises since coming to the Zoo. We assume that Moana is a central bearded dragon, which is one of the six species of bearded dragons that are kept as pets, but we don’t know for sure. Another surprise Moana gave was his sex; we originally thought that Moana was a female (hence the feminine name), but in 2023 we learned that he is male which earned him the nickname Mo. Moana is located inside and can be seen moving around and checking you out.
You can get to know Moana better and meet him in person through our programs scheduled through the Education Department!
Taxonomy
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Reptilia
- Order: Squamata
- Family: Agamidae
- Genus: Pogona
- Species: Potogona vitticeps
Animal Facts
Omnivore: mainly eat insects or small rodents/ lizards as well as vegetation
Population Status: currently listed as Least Concern
Habitat: deserts, dry forests, scrubland
Activity: diurnal- mostly active during the day
