Water Dragons

Water Dragons can be up to 1 meter, with long powerful legs and claws. Their tail forms 2/3 of their length and is almost all muscle. It is laterally compressed to help act like an oar when swimming. The Water Dragon has a nuchal crest – a central row of enlarged spikey spines at the back of the head. These spikes continue down the spine, decreasing in size to the base of the tail. At the tail the spines divide into two rows.

The Water Dragon’s upper body is a grey-green with cream and black transverse bands on the body and tail. Underneath the body is creamy brown-grey. They have loose folds of skin under the jaw, giving them an almost Bearded Dragon appearance.

Water Dragons as their name suggests are semi-aquatic lizards. They spend a lot of time perching in trees along creeks and rivers. At any sign of danger they will dive into the water and either remain underwater or swim away. Water Dragons have been known to remain underwater for up to 90 minutes. Water Dragons when underwater slow their heart rate and conduct some gas exchange across their skin, both O2 and CO2.

Water Dragons at slow speeds run on all four legs, but to increase their running speed they can run on their back legs only (bipedal). Their long powerful back legs and sharp claws help in their abilities to climb trees and dig holes for hibernation and nesting.