Photo of Australian Bearded Dragon - Pogona Vitticeps

-- This unusual mid-sized stocky agamid lizard has prominent spines along its sides and a large, essentially triangle-shaped head. Forming a sort of shield around the snout is a spiney jaw pouch which, when swollen, looks like a beard and makes any predator think twice before attacking. This wide-ranging species shows considerable geographic variation its basic color varies from shades of brown, gray, and reddish-brown to bright orange. The ventral surface ranges from pale to dark gray, with white elongated spots edged with black. Mature males have dark and beardsand which become black during courtship and breeding. Adults can grow as large as ten inches in body length or two feet in total length, including the tail. Males are larger than females.