''Pogona minor'' is a species of

agamid Agamidae is a family of over 300 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards. Overview Phylogenetically, they may be sister to the I ...

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

from a group commonly known as

bearded dragon ''Pogona'' is a genus of reptiles containing six lizard species which are often known by the common name bearded dragons. The name "bearded dragon" refers to the underside of the throat (or "beard") of the lizard, which can turn black and gain we ...

s, and is found on the southwest coast and interior of

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

. This taxonomic name includes the widespread type known as western bearded dragon, ''Pogona minor minor'' which is widespread across West Australia between the

Pilbara The Pilbara () is a large, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia. It is known for its Aboriginal peoples; its ancient landscapes; the red earth; and its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore. It is also a glo ...

and the south coast, and the

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

, ''Pogona minor minima'' is confined to the

Wallabi Group The Wallabi Group is the northernmost group of islands in the Houtman Abrolhos off the western coast of Western Australia. it is from the Australian mainland, and about from the Easter Group. The group consists of a numbe ...

of islands. There is another subspecies, ''Pogona minor mitchelli'' which lives in tropical woodlands of the Kimberley area of West Australia.

Description

''Pogona minor minor'' lizards are large, 38 cm in length (15 cm from snout to vent), ''P. m. minima'' is slightly smaller, at 11cm snout to vent, and ''P. m. mitchelli'' has a snout to vent length of 16cm. All bearded dragons have a

chameleon Chameleons or chamaeleons (family Chamaeleonidae) are a distinctive and highly specialized clade of Old World lizards with 202 species described as of June 2015. The members of this family are best known for their distinct range of colors, bein ...

-like colour, either blending into their environments or presenting brighter displays during interaction with others. They are similar in appearance to ''Pogona nullarbor'' and ''Caimanops amphiboluroides'' (

mulga dragon The mulga dragon (''Diporiphora amphiboluroides'') is a species of agamid lizard found in Western Australia. The species is up to 250 mm long, the length from snout to vent is 95 mm, with a long, slender tail that ends abruptly. The pa ...

), but are distinguished by smaller heads, and the arrangement of spines on their undersides and necks. The western bearded dragon is widespread in

Southwest Australia Southwest Australia is a biogeographic region in Western Australia. It includes the Mediterranean-climate area of southwestern Australia, which is home to a diverse and distinctive flora and fauna. The region is also known as the Southwest Aus ...

and central deserts; the range includes semiarid regions such as woodland or heathland, and arid desert or coastal dunes. This subspecies also occurs on

Dirk Hartog Island A dirk is a long bladed thrusting dagger.Chisholm, Hugh (ed.), ''Dagger'', The Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed., Vol. VII, New York, NY: Cambridge University Press (1910), p. 729 Historically, it gained its name from the Highland Dirk (Scot ...

. ''Pogona minor minima'' is found on West, North, and East Wallabi Islands,

Houtman Abrolhos The Houtman Abrolhos (often called the Abrolhos Islands) is a chain of 122 islands and associated coral reefs, in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Australia, about west of Geraldton, Western Australia. It is the southernmost true coral ...

. These dragons display a behavior common to other ''

Pogona ''Pogona'' is a genus of reptiles containing six lizard species which are often known by the common name bearded dragons. The name "bearded dragon" refers to the underside of the throat (or "beard") of the lizard, which can turn black and gain we ...

'' species, they will wave one of their fore legs to trigger a response from a potential rival or mate. Another typical behavior is head-bobbing amongst males, perhaps related to dominance within their social order. They are often seen basking on fence posts. They usually lay egg clutches of 5–9, though clutches of up to 15 have been recorded. Due to their small size, it is likely that they are insectivorous rather than herbivorous like most other bearded dragon species.

References

Sidney's Overview of Bearded Dragon Species

External links

Reptiles of Western Australia Pogona Taxa named by Richard Sternfeld Reptiles described in 1919 Agamid lizards of Australia {{agamidae-stub

Description

See also

References

Further reading

External links