Dermatologic: The Bearded dragon has a gular “beard” or flap of skin beneath its chin that is covered with large, conical scales. Unlike snakes, lizards normally exhibit a patchy shed or “ecdysis”.

 

Gastrointestinal: The mucous membranes of the oral cavity are normally yellow.

Acrodont dentition: Teeth are not set in sockets, but instead are weakly attached to the jawbone surface.

 

Sexual dimorphism: Males tend to grow larger than females and have larger heads. Males also have hemipenal bulges on the ventral side of the tail base and larger, more prominent femoral pores. Femoral pores are the opening through which glands produce a thick, waxy secretion. This secretion plays a role in scent marking and other pheromone-based communication.

 

How Bearded Dragons breathe

 

Adult and young Bearded dragons enjoy basking lazily on their logs. Your dragon may “vent” (open mouth breathing) while basking, this is very normal and not a sign of distress.

 

Color and size

 

The wild type or standard bearded dragon is tan to yellow color on its dorsum with irregular blotches and a pale belly. There are numerous other color variations in captive-bred specimens.

Including the tail, bearded dragons commonly attain a length of up to 2 ft (0.6 m). Juveniles weigh about 2-3 grams and adults weigh at least 250 g. Males tend to grow larger than females and have larger heads.

 

Lifespan

 

Owning a bearded dragon, or 'beardy', is a big commitment as they have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years, or even longer.