Home > Animals > Reptiles > Australian Water Dragon

Australian Water Dragon

(Physignathus lesueurii)

 

Category: Reptiles

 

 

Australian water dragons are arboreal agamids with strong limbs and long claws for climbing. They are very strong swimmers who can stay submerged for up to 90 minutes to avoid detection by predators and other threats. This species exhibits temperature dependent sex determination – the sex of the hatchlings depends on the incubation temperature of the nest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_water_dragon

http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Lizard-Species/Australian-Water-Dragon/

 

Data & Facts

Scientific Classification
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum - Chordata
Class - Reptilia
Order - Squamata
Family - Agamidae
Genus - Intellagama
Species - I. lesueurii

 
Did you know?
Interesting Animal Facts

The Tongue-tastic Chameleon

The Chameleon is known for its ability to change colors, but that is not the only amazing feature they possess. Chameleon tongues are twice the length of their bodies (can you imagine having a 10-12 foot long tongue?) and they use it for hunting! When it sees a tasty bug, the chameleon coils the muscles in its tongue in much the same way a hunter tightens the string on their bow, then the tongue shoots out, striking with incredible speed, sticking to the hapless insect as it is dragged back to the chameleon’s mouth. And believe it or not, smaller chamelons are sometimes even stronger and faster than their larger cousins: the tiny Rhampholeon spinosus’s tongue accelerates at a rate equivalent to your car going from 0-60 miles per hour in 1/100 of a second, and it rarely misses its target!

Learn more >>

 


NAIA - National Animal Interest Alliance Discover Animals is a web-based educational resource offered by the NAIA
To learn more about the NAIA or about other NAIA programs, visit us at www.NAIAOnline.org
if you would like to help, join or support the NAIA or any of its programs please click here >>