Water Dragon Facts and Information - ListAnimals

Water dragons are agamid reptiles local to southern China, the Southeast Asian nations of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Australia.

Water Dragon Quick Facts

Common Name	Water Dragon
Scientific Name	Physignathus
Group	Reptile
Conservation Status	Threatened
Habitat	Creeks, rivers and lakes
Colour	Black, Brown, Tan, Yellow, Green
Size (L)	60-100cm (24-40in)
Weight	0.5-1kg (1.1-2.2lbs)
Top Speed	48km/h (30mph)
Diet	Omnivore
Prey	Fish, Rodents, Insects
Predators	Snakes, Birds, Mammals
Lifestyle	Solitary
Lifespan	10-20 years
Favourite Food	Fish

Water Dragon Appearance and Behavior

The Chinese Water Dragon is commonly a splendid to a dull green reptile with high horn scales running from its head to the base of its tail, which has earthy colored and green groups and finishes in a point. Some might be purple with an orange stomach and may have askew stripes of green or turquoise on their bodies. Their gives a false representation of can likewise be white, grayish, light green or yellow. Their throats are viewed as their most alluring component, extending in shades of blue, purple and peach, brilliant orange and yellow and are once in a while striped between two hues.

Adolescents have caramel green chest areas and white to light green underbellies. They likewise have white or beige vertical stripes on the two sides of their bodies alongside an earthy colored and green united tail. Subsequent to arriving at a length of around 10 inches and shedding their skin a few times, they take on their grown-up shading.

The Asian species has a little, brilliant, photosensitive spot between its eyes alluded to as the pineal eye that is accepted to thermoregulate its body by detecting contrasts in light. This parietal eye can likewise enable the reptile to maintain a strategic distance from predators from above while additionally permitting it to stir from a profound rest out of nowhere.

Grown-up guys and females show marginally various qualities. Guys have progressively striking shading, particularly under the throat, while they additionally have bigger, increasingly triangular heads, greater cheeks with bigger peaks on the head, neck and tail, alongside bigger femoral pores.

Their legs are very much evolved with five-toed feet that have long, thick paws finishing off with sharp focuses. Front legs are slimmer and are utilized for climbing trees and clutching branches. The back legs are increasingly strong and are utilized for hopping, jumping, climbing and swimming. Water dragons once in a while run bipedally on their back legs.

This species can grow up to a little more than three feet long, with the tail taking up around 66% of its body length. The tail is utilized for parity and influence when climbing and for help with swimming, just as a weapon against predators. The biggest water dragons weigh a little more than two pounds.

Australian water dragons have a comparable appearance with a profoundly rakish head and a dorsal edge of scales that reaches out from their heads to their tails. They additionally have huge cheeks and ears that are nearly as extensive as their eyes. Hues vary between the subspecies. The Eastern Water Dragon is dark to tanish dim with dark stripes on the dorsal edge down to the tail. They additionally have a flat dark stripe running from the eye that reaches out down the neck. Appendages are fundamentally dark with spots of dim, while the tail has striped with dim and dark. The midsection is yellow-earthy colored with the chest and upper tummy brilliant red in develop guys, and there is no dim stripe from the eye to the ear. Guys have groups of blue and yellow around the throat and have dull blue-green chests. Eastern Water Dragons have white, yellow and red throats and dull groups behind its eyes, while Gippsland Water Dragons have dim groups on either side of its throat. Both are light greenish developed in generally speaking shading. The Australian species can change its shading to disguise itself gradually. Guys are likewise bolder in shading than females.

Both the Asian and Australian species are dynamic during the day and invest the vast majority of their energy in trees or on plants lolling in the sun. At the point when compromised, they can run quick and will frequently hop in the water and stay underneath for stretched out occasions to evade predators or stow away in thick vegetation. Water dragons are commonly bashful in the wild yet can turn out to be well disposed to people when kept as pets. Both genders display forceful conduct that incorporates head weaving and arm waving. Where the populace is denser, guys become increasingly regional towards different guys and show practices, for example, acting, pursuing and battling. Water dragons likewise impart through an assortment of motions like saluting and substrate licking, yet the significance of those signals isn't completely comprehended.

Water Dragons Interesting Facts

• Penrith City Council logoThe Eastern Water Dragon has been embraced as Penrith City Council's logo. Penrith is a chamber region at the lower regions of the Blue Mountains in Sydney.

• Water Dragons are omnivorous importance they will eat almost anything.

• Water Dragons in bondage satisfy 20 years. They arrive at sexual development around 4 to 5 years old.

• A male Water Dragon can arrive at a length of 1 meter and weigh around 1 kg. 66% of the length of a Water Dragon is its tail.

• The Water Dragon's tail is intended to enable them to swim. It is for the most part muscle and is molded with straightened sides, to help slice through the water like a paddle.

• Water Dragons jump into water to escape from risk. They can stay underwater for as long as an hour and a half.

• Water Dragons have a winter lethargy (hibernation). It fluctuates relying upon the atmosphere of the area. In Canberra, they go into hibernation around Easter and stay there until late September – early October.

• Water Dragons can rest in the water, with simply their noses jutting. In chilly climate before they go into their winter lethargy (hibernation), resting in the water for the time being, is really hotter than dozing in the open.

• Water Dragons can eat underwater. They are regularly watched coming up to the outside of the water biting their food.

• Water Dragons by and large go to the latrine in the water.

• Water Dragons convey by weaving their heads, expanding their throat pockets, doing push-ups and waving their arms. This is a piece of the regional conduct that guys show during rearing season.

• Water Dragons for the most part run on each of the four legs, yet when they need to go quicker they curve their backs and lift their fronts legs off the ground and run on their back-legs, similar to dinosaurs do.

• Water Dragons are an antiquated line of reptiles. They have been around for a similiar timeframe as crocodiles, around 20 million years.

• Water Dragons structure some portion of the Chinese Horoscope. Individuals who are Water Dragons are conceived in 1952 (Jan 27, 1952 to Feb 13, 1953). The following year of the Water Dragon will begin in late January 2012. The Chinese horoscope is comprised of five fundamental components of Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth. This is joined with the twelve creatures signs to frame a multi year cycle. So there are Metal Dragons, Water Dragons, Wood Dragons, Fire Dragons and Earth Dragons.