What Are the Bearded Dragon’s Enemies?
Predators of the bearded dragon include the gull billed tern, goannas, black headed pythons, dingos, birds of prey, cats and foxes. Bearded dragons occasionally eat other bearded dragons. Bearded dragons are also plagued by various parasites.
The bearded dragon’s first defense against its predators is camouflage. Bearded dragons blend in with their surroundings. These lizards stay motionless for long periods of time so that their movement does not alert predators to their location. However, this defense does not always protect the dragons from predators that hunt by smell.
If camouflage does not work, the bearded dragon tries to intimidate its predator. Bearded dragons can use their beard in defense; the beard is a pouch of skin that can be inflated when necessary. When the lizard inflates its beard, it opens its mouth and makes its entire head appear to be bigger, which may scare away predators. If the predator is not deterred, the lizard may resort to biting.
While the bearded dragon opens its mouth and inflates its pouch, it also flattens its body as much as possible. This makes the lizard look bigger and also makes its spines stand out, which may make the bearded dragon appear undesirable to predators.
