Meet Draco, the Bearded Dragon

Today Papaw is going to take you on a tour of his classroom again. One of his class pets is named Draco. Draco Malfoy is his full name. Draco comes from the word meaning “dragon”. Draco is a Bearded Dragon. They were originally found in Australia. Now they are kept by people all around the world. Bearded dragons are reptiles and hatch from eggs. They look very spiky, but they can’t really hurt you, unless they bite.

Draco is an omnivore which means he can eat both plants and animals. He likes lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, and many other vegetables.  He also eats insects like cockroaches and crickets. He gets so excited sometimes that he forgets to not try to eat my fingers. Ouch! It doesn’t hurt that bad, but it does pinch.

He likes to spend the day lounging on his long under a light. They call that “basking”.  It’s a nice warm spot. Do you like to lay in the sun on a lice warm day? That’s what he likes to do.

He lives next to a tank of fish. Sometimes he acts like he would like to take a bite out of them too. I think he’s always looking for a snack, much like some of you!

One of the other funny behaviors he does is “head bobbing”. We think it’s his way of saying “I’m a tough guy.  Don’t mess with me.” Sometimes he even waves his arms or stomps his feet, especial if he sees another dragon lady. It’s his way of saying, “Look at me; I’m cool”. Silly Draco!

Dragons living in captivity can live for 10-15 years. That’s actually a long time for a lizard. In the wild they have to be careful of hawks and dingoes (a type of wild dog) who would like to eat them. So they can run very fast. Sometimes when they get to hot they will even burrow underground       or hide in a hollow log. If it gets very hot, they may not come out until the sun goes down.  

  Bearded dragons come is other colors too. Your Uncle Josh and Aunt Jessica in Arizona have one that is mostly yellow. His name is Maverick. He likes to sit by the window in the sun. bearded  dragons can be orange or even reddish brown. If you would like to find out more about bearded dragons, you could ask your parents to do a search in Google. You can find care sheets, pictures and more information about where they live, what they eat, and how they act. I hope you liked meeting Draco. He says, “Bye and have a great day!”         

Love, Papaw

Maverick

Maverick