Meet the Central bearded dragon
The central bearded dragon is a sturdy, spiny lizard of the inland. It is often seen perched on fence posts, stumps, rocks and branches, basking in the morning and late afternoon and retreating to shade in the heat of the day.
Beardies talk with their bodies. They bob their heads to assert dominance, wave an arm as a sign of submission, and when threatened gape their mouth wide and puff out the spiny 'beard' under their throat, which can turn dark. In spring, females dig burrows and lay clutches of about 11 to 30 eggs.
They are also famous among scientists. Genetically, sex is set by ZW chromosomes like in birds, but if eggs are incubated hot enough, genetic males develop as fully functional females. In 2015 researchers showed this sex reversal happens in the wild in warmer parts of the species' range.
The species was described by Ernst Ahl in 1926. The name vitticeps refers to the stripes on its head.
Where it lives
Semi-arid and arid inland eastern and central Australia, including western New South Wales and the Riverina, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. Lives in open woodland, shrubland and rocky desert.