MEET THE ZOO: Bearded Dragons

It is officially the Year of the Dragon and the Prospect Park Zoo has a few dragons of its own to delight those celebrating the Chinese New Year.

The zoo’s bearded dragons can be seen in the Animals in Art area where visitors are encouraged to take some time–along with pencil and paper–to study and create their own animal masterpieces. These spiny lizards offer some real opportunities for careful observation.

Native to Australia, bearded dragons spend a lot of time perfectly posed on a warm rock or carefully perched on prickly branches. The tiny spines covering their heads and throat are actually scales used to intimidate predators. When they feel threatened, the bearded dragon will puff out its throat to make the little spines stick out, resembling a beard. The behavior is, not surprisingly, called “bearding.” 

Bearded dragons are omnivorous. In the wild they spend much of their time foraging for insects, flowers, plants and smaller lizards. 

Prospect Park Zoo’s bearded dragons were all hatched at the Indianapolis Zoo. The six-year-old animals arrived together and have lived in their simulated Australian desert habitat since 2007. 

Unlike some lizards, the bearded dragon is a relatively social species, which is why all of the zoo’s specimens have seemed to coexist nicely over the years. But still, they can be territorial. Visitors can occasionally catch the two males in a territorial display that consists of head bobbing. Luckily, it never amounts to anything more than a few interesting minutes for the human onlookers.

Next time you come to the Prospect Park Zoo, spend a little time at the bearded dragon exhibit and test your observation skills.