AUSTRALIAN WATER DRAGON

The Australian water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii), which includes the eastern water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii) and the Gippsland water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii howittii) subspecies, is an arboreal agamid species native to eastern Australia from Victoria northwards to Queensland. There may be a small introduced population on the south-east coast of South Australia.

The Gippsland water dragon is generally the more southern of the two subspecies and the more cold adapted and heat sensitive. Visually distinguishing the Gippsland water dragon from the Eastern water dragon is relatively easy, as long as their skin is reasonably clean and not stained from the water, as identification of the two subspecies depends largely on observable differences in colours and patterns.

Australian water dragons have long powerful limbs and claws for climbing, a long muscular laterally-compressed tail for swimming, and prominent nuchal and vertebral crests (a nuchal crest is a central row of spikes at the base of the head. These spikes continue down the spine, getting smaller as they reach the base of the tail).

Including their tails, which comprise about two-thirds of their total length, adult females grow to about 60 cm long, and adult males can grow slightly longer than one metre and weigh about 1 kg. Males show bolder colouration and have larger heads than females. Colour is less distinct in juveniles.

The Australian water dragon's diet depends on its size. Juveniles and yearlings tend to feed on spiders and small insects such as ants, crickets, and caterpillars. When they get bigger, so does their prey. An adult diet includes small rodents, such as baby mice, other reptiles, frogs, fish, crabs, yabbies, molluscs, worms and eggs, although insects are still the most commonly consumed. Types of vegetation reportedly consumed include figs, lilly-pilly fruits, berries, and other fruits and flowers.

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme