The most popular bearded dragons kept as pets live naturally in the wild in all Australian states and territories except Tasmania. Contrary to what is often read on the internet, bearded dragons don’t just live in desert areas. Bearded dragons in the wild live on a wide range of habitats such as scrublands, woodlands and desert.
Jump To…
Where do Bearded Dragons Live in the Wild?
Here are where 4 species of bearded dragons live in the wild being:
- Pogona vitticeps
- Pogona minor
- Pogona barbata
- Pogona henrylawsoni
1. Pogona vitticeps – Central or Inland Bearded Dragon
The Pogona vitticeps, the most popular of pet bearded dragons outside of Australia, is spread among varying landscapes. It is particularly concentrated in arid and semi-arid areas. Some of the land has trees, some bushes and some is quite flat with only grasses dispersed across the landscape. Turner and Valentic (n.d.) described some of the habitat they observed the wild Pogona vitticeps in as without trees, some shrubs and lots of grasses such as Mitchell Grass.
The map and picture above show Walpeup, Victoria, Australia. Walpeup is one of many examples of lands that bearded dragons in the wild live in. Smith et al (2016) documented what this land looked like in research which required the temporary removal of some Pogona vitticeps from the wild. Much of the land is cleared for farming but some natural bush remains. Smith et al (2016) described the land as semi-arid mallee woodland with a lot of silver emu bush (aka Broom Bush or Scotia Bush (Eremophila scoparia)) and blue-leaved mallee (Eucalyptus polybractea) trees.
2. Pogona minor – Western Bearded Dragon or Dwarf Bearded Dragon
Pianka (2005) documented the land of he observed the Pogona minor on in Australia’s Great Victoria Desert (Western Australia). Pianka (2005) describes the environment as being mainly red sands with some vegetation such as spinifex (Triodia), gum trees (including Eucalyptus gongylocarpa), Eremophila, Grevillea, Hakea and Thryptomene along with the red sands. Wetter areas also had mulga trees (Acacia aneura) and Lindley’s saltbush (Atriplex lindleyi).
The Pogona minor are semi arboreal like other Pogona species so they use the ground and the trees and bushes. They have been noted to seek shelter in the heat of the day at a meter or more off the ground (Pianka 2005).
The Perth bushland in the image above is just one of the many example of areas bearded dragons in the wild live, in this instance specifically the Pogona minor.
3. Pogona barbata – Eastern or Common Bearded Dragon
The Pogona barbata is one of the bearded dragons that lives in multiple states of Australia over a range of different environments.
Wotherspoon (2007) studied the Pogona barbata in the woodlands of the Cumberland Plain near Sydney, New South Wales. The bearded dragons in the Cumberland Plain lived among many gums (including Eucalyptus moluccana, Eucalyptus fibrosa and Eucalyptus sclerophylla) with bushes and ground cover. Bearded dragons are semi-arboreal and certainly in this area described the Pogona barbata spends a lot of time up in the trees basking and staying safe.
Within the Northern Wheatbelt of New South Wales both the Pogona vitticeps and the Pogona barbata have been classified as woodland generalists with some reliance on the presence of trees for their habitat (Ellis, 2005).
4. Pogona henrylawsoni – Black Soil Bearded Dragons
Turner and Valentic (n.d.) observed 14 wild Pogona henrylawsoni (Black Soil Bearded Dragons) in October 1996 near Winton, Queensland.
As a matter of interest, October in Australia is late spring. In the middle of Queensland where the sightings of Pogona henrylawsoni were made by Turner and Valentic (n.d.), it is subtropical and hot.
Six of the wild bearded dragons were sighted in the late afternoon between the hours of 16:56 and 17:51. At that time, all were basking in full sun 37.0°C (98.6°F), with a relative humidity of 31%, on a rock or on bitumen road. They found an additional wild bearded dragon dead on the road. Wild bearded dragons are often run over by cars as they seek to soak up the sun on the roads.
In the morning between the hours of 09:42 and 10:39, temperatures ranged from 29.0°C (84.2°F) to 35.0°C (95°F). At this time of day 5 wild bearded dragons were found basking on rocks.
Between 11:34 and 12:28, temperatures ranged from 36.8°C (98.24°F) to 38.9°C (102°F), 2 were found propped up or perched on shrubs.
The picture above is an example of some of where you can find bearded dragons in the wild such as in Turner and Valentic (n.d.) records described above. In this area the trees are sparse but there is lower level vegetation. A lot of area has been cleared for farmland.
How Far do Bearded Dragons Travel in the Wild
Wotherspoon (2007) tracked the distance bearded dragons travel in the wild using a spool of string attached to the reptile. He recorded the distance they travelled included movement up and down trees, across other vegetation and the ground. Wotherspoon found that the Eastern bearded dragons (Pogona barbata) travel was purposeful, they had a reason to move whether feeding, breeding, seeking shelter or otherwise.
The Eastern bearded dragons could travel 300 meters in a single day with the females, hatchlings and young adults moving in loops with their perching site (resting mostly in trees) being in the middle of the range. The males moved in straight lines.
On one site the research was conduted the average area a female bearded dragon occupied in breeding months was 970 m² (10,440 ft²), and outside of breeding time, it was 633 m² (6,813 ft²). The average area for males was 1,797 m² (19,340 ft²) during breeding season and 1,359 m² (14,628 ft²) outside of breeding. On other sites the range of the bearded dragon was even larger.
The average area a female bearded dragon occupied in breeding months was 970 m2 and outside of breeding time it was 633 m2. The average area for males was 1797 m2 during breeding season and 1359m2 outside of breeding.
Although very small, the Western Bearded Dragon (Pogona minor) can travel over 100 meters (over 100 yards) a day. Thompson and Thompson (2003) studied the Pogona minor near Ora Banda in Western Australia. The wild Western bearded dragon travelled extensively across land stopping to forage or bask in bushes such as saltbush (Atriplex spp) and bluebush (Maireana spp).
Where Can You Find Bearded Dragons in the Wild?
Bearded dragons can be found in the wild all over Australia except Tasmania.
Bearded dragons are typically though of as a desert reptile but that is only the case for some, mostly the Pogona vitticeps and Pogona minor. However, as you can see in the map showin the distribution of bearded dragons, they can be found in deserts, scrublands and woodlands with varying temperatures and humidity. Bearded dragons can be seen in the suburbs around houses, close to waterways, far from waterways, outback stations and all over the place. However, bearded dragons do not tend to be in the hotter areas such as the top of Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia and colder areas such as the bottom of Victoria or Tasmania.
Different species of bearded dragons live in different areas, with a few crossing over. The map shows the wide ranging distribution of the Pogona minor, Pogona barbata and Pogona vitticeps covering many different landscapes.
Bringing the Wild Bearded Dragon Habitat to Pets
To provide your pet a more natural environment you can bring in some of the elements described in the wild bearded dragons habitat discussed above. This is applicable to both accessories and substrates.
The best accessories and substrate for bearded dragons from their natural environment would include upright branches, rocks, digging areas and perhaps some leaf litter or logs to hide in and around. This would also help to provide branches for their natural semi arboreal behaviour, they like to climb. Some bearded dragons will even spend winter brumating in the trees.
For more on substrates see the post how to choose the best substrate.
FAQs
What do wild bearded dragons live on?
Bearded dragons are able to use a wide range of habitat. Bearded dragons may live on leaf litter, fallen branches, tall trees or short bushes, rocks and sand are all potential areas a bearded dragon lives on in the wild.
What do wild bearded dragons hide in?
Bearded dragons in the wild will use their environment to hide in. What they have available to hide in will depend on what sort of area they live in such as arid desert lands or woodlands. They may hide in trees, hollow logs, under leaf litter and fallen branches, between rocks and anywhere else available to them.
References
- Ellis, M. (2005) A Classification of the Native Vertebrate Species of the Northern Wheatbelt of New South Wales. National Parks and Wildlife Services. Department of Environment and Conservation. New South Wales.
- Pianka, E. R. (2005) The ecology and natural history of the dwarf bearded dragon Pogona minor in the Great Victoria Desert Australia Draco, 6(N): 63-66 Nr 22.
- Smith, K. R., Cadena, V., Endler, J. A., Porter, W. P., Kearney, M. R., and Stuart-Fox, D. (June, 2016) Colour change on different body regions provides thermal and signalling advantages in bearded dragon lizards. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Vol 283(1832): 15
- Thompson S. A., and Thompson G. G. (2003) The western bearded dragon, Pogona minor (Squamata: Agamidae): An early lizard coloniser of rehabilitated areas. Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia, 86:1-6
- Turner, G. and Valentic, R. (date unknown) Notes on the occurrence and habits of the Downs Bearded Dragon Pogona henrylawsoni (Wells & Wellington, 1985).
- Wotherspoon, D. (2007) Ecology and Management of Eastern Bearded Dragon Pogona barbata. Western Sydney University Thesis Collection
