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Whats up guys? You know I've been thinking a lot about wild bearded dragons and how they live. Speaking of which, there's of course a couple species of bearded dragons and the most common in captivity is obviously the central/inland bearded dragon or pogona vitticeps but have any of you guys ever seen in particular an eastern bearded dragon or pogona barbata? They are so cool looking! They are much darker than the vitticeps and some are almost a rich black! Plus in some pictures I've seen when they puff up in my opinion they have a much more intimidating beard and open mouth! They are apparently quite rare in captivity, at least outside of Australia but here's hoping they grow more popular and more widely available.
Anyway, as for the lives of wild beardies which I'm sure are much shorter anyway (I imagine they're a dingo delicacy but hey dingoes are equally cool) I've been curious as to how they manage to get by without all the things we pamper them with. For one thing the fruits and vegetables they rely heavily on in captivity. I'm sure in the dry Australian outback with it's sparse, thorny and rough vegetation wild beardies are much more carnivorous and insectivorous than their captive counterparts. If their lucky they might find some berries or more lush greenery but I'm willing to bet their herbivore behavior is more seasonal like during the wet season as I honestly can't see them eating roots, tubers and brushy grasses. but then again maybe they try to live near lakes and rivers where plant growth would be better. And what about the ever so crucial calcium? They aren't going to find calcium powder and supplements in the desert. Do they get it from the bones of occasional small birds, mammals and other vertebrates they hunt such as all those mouse sized marsupials that live over there? Maybe they get extra calcium from the shells of small eggs they come across? At the very least I imagine they get the majority of the water they need from their food. What do you guys think?
Anyway, as for the lives of wild beardies which I'm sure are much shorter anyway (I imagine they're a dingo delicacy but hey dingoes are equally cool) I've been curious as to how they manage to get by without all the things we pamper them with. For one thing the fruits and vegetables they rely heavily on in captivity. I'm sure in the dry Australian outback with it's sparse, thorny and rough vegetation wild beardies are much more carnivorous and insectivorous than their captive counterparts. If their lucky they might find some berries or more lush greenery but I'm willing to bet their herbivore behavior is more seasonal like during the wet season as I honestly can't see them eating roots, tubers and brushy grasses. but then again maybe they try to live near lakes and rivers where plant growth would be better. And what about the ever so crucial calcium? They aren't going to find calcium powder and supplements in the desert. Do they get it from the bones of occasional small birds, mammals and other vertebrates they hunt such as all those mouse sized marsupials that live over there? Maybe they get extra calcium from the shells of small eggs they come across? At the very least I imagine they get the majority of the water they need from their food. What do you guys think?
