Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia, although some lizards are more closely related to these two excluded groups than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon.
Agamidae is a family of over 550 species of iguanian lizards indigenous to Africa, Asia, Australia, and a few in Southern Europe. Many species are commonly called dragons or dragon lizards.
Pogona is a genus of reptiles containing eight lizard species, which are often known by the common name bearded dragons. The name "bearded dragon" refers to the underside of the throat of the lizard, which can turn black and puff up for a number of reasons, most often as a result of stress, if they feel threatened, or are trying to entice a mate. They are a semiarboreal species, spending significant amounts of time on branches, in bushes, and near human habitation. Pogona species bask on rocks and exposed branches in the mornings and afternoons and sleep at night, making them a diurnal species. Their diet consists primarily of vegetation and some insects. They are found throughout much of Australia and inhabit environments such as deserts, and shrublands.
The central bearded dragon, also known as the inland bearded dragon, is a species of agamid lizard found in a wide range of arid to semiarid regions of eastern and central Australia.
The frilled lizard, also known as the frillneck lizard, frill-necked lizard or frilled dragon, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. It is native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea. This species is the only member of the genus Chlamydosaurus. Its common names come from the large frill around its neck, which usually stays folded against the lizard's body. It reaches 90 cm (35 in) from head to tail and can weigh 600 g (1.3 lb). Males are larger and more robust than females. The lizard's body is generally grey, brown, orangish-brown, or black in colour. The frills have red, orange, yellow, or white colours.
The Australian water dragon, which includes the eastern water dragon and the Gippsland water dragon subspecies, is an arboreal agamid species native to eastern Australia from Victoria northwards to Queensland. There may be a small introduced population on the south-east coast of South Australia. The Gippsland Water Dragon is generally the more southern of the two species and the more cold adapted and heat sensitive. Visually distinguishing the Gippsland Water Dragon from the Eastern Water Dragon is relatively easy, as long as their skin is reasonably clean and not stained from the water, as identification of the two subspecies depends largely on observable differences in colours and patterns.
The peninsular rock agama or South Indian rock agama is a common species of agama found on rocky hills in south India. An allied species, Psammophilus blanfordanus, is found in the Eastern Ghats, but north of the range of this species.
The spiny-tailed monitor, also known as the Australian spiny-tailed monitor, the ridge-tailed monitor the Ackie's dwarf monitor, and colloquially simply ackie monitor, is an Australian species of lizard belonging to the genus of monitor lizards (Varanus).
Rankin's dragon is a species of Australian agamid lizard. It may also be called the pygmy bearded dragon and the black-soiled bearded dragon.
Pogona minor is a species of agamid lizard from a group commonly known as bearded dragons, and is found on the southwest coast and interior of Western Australia. This taxonomic name includes the widespread type known as western bearded dragon, Pogona minor minor which is widespread across West Australia between the Pilbara and the south coast, and the subspecies, Pogona minor minima is confined to the Wallabi Group of islands. There is another subspecies, Pogona minor mitchelli which lives in tropical woodlands of the Kimberley area of West Australia.
Boyd's forest dragon is a species of arboreal lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is native to rainforests and their margins in the Wet Tropics region of northern Queensland, Australia. It is the larger of the two species of Lophosaurus found in Australia. Another species, the southern angle-headed dragon, L. spinipes, is found in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales.
The jacky dragon is a type of lizard native to southeastern Australia. It was one of the first Australian reptiles to be named by Europeans, originally described by English zoologist George Shaw in Surgeon-General John White's Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales, which was published in London in 1790. It is well known for its bright yellow mouth and well-developed vertebral crest, as well as the temperature-dependent sex determination of its offspring. Other common names include blood-sucker, stonewalker, and tree dragon.
The Armadale Reptile Centre is a reptile zoo in Armadale, Western Australia that focuses on herpetology and wildlife endemic to Australia.
The Amphibolurinae are a subfamily of lizards in the family Agamidae. Members of this subfamily are found in Australia and New Guinea, although one species, the Chinese water dragon, is found in Southeast Asia.
Ctenophorus pictus, commonly known as the painted ground-dragon or painted dragon, is a species of lizard from the family Agamidae. It is endemic to the drier areas of southern and central Australia.
Ctenophorus fionni, also known commonly as the Arcoona rock dragon, the peninsula crevice-dragon and the peninsula dragon, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to the Australian state of South Australia.
Strophurus williamsi, also known commonly as the eastern spiny-tailed gecko, the soft-spined gecko, and Williams' spiny-tailed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Diplodactylidae. The species is endemic to semi-arid regions of eastern Australia including Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. It has become a popular species as a pet for its distinctive tail features. S. williamsi has been grouped within a clade of seven other species that are believed to have diverged from their ancestors around 20 million years ago. S. williamsi can be distinguished from closer relatives by arboreality and diurnal (day-active) activity.
The gibber earless dragon also known as the smooth-snouted earless dragon, is a species of agamid lizard endemic to Australia. It is one of a documented species of the genus Tympanocryptis, a group of small terrestrial lizards that feed off invertebrates and are characterised by the absence of an external ear structure.
Ctenophorus mckenziei, more commonly known as the dwarf-bicycle dragon, is a species of endemic Australian lizard within the family Agamidae and genus Ctenophorus. Originally identified as the agamid Amphibolurus mckenziei, the lizard had been identified within the regions of Western Australia and South Australia in which it occupied the shrubbery and woodland areas as its habitat. It was subsequently transferred to the genus Ctenophorus along with other Agamid species in which it shared similar morphology and characteristics. The name mckenziei is in reference to Norman Leslie Mckenzie, who was a zoologist and discovered the existence of the lizard. Listed on the IUCN red list page, threats to its population numbers are evaluated as least concern; however, their numbers are threatened by habitat loss, climate change, and feral predators.
Crocosaurus Cove is a crocodile herpetarium and aquarium zoo located in an indoor complex in the city district of Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Its main focus as the facility's name indicates is the tourism drawcard of the crocodiles of northern Australia. The park has a considerable number of saltwater crocodiles including 700kg and 5.1 metre long male Burt, who appeared in 1986 movie Crocodile Dundee and made news in 2018 for 'psychic predictions' outcomes of the 2018 Soccer World Cup by reaching up and grabbing photographs of players which was seen as match and player performance 'predicting'. The facility has also had success with breeding and hatching baby crocodiles including in July 2022 with baby crocodiles hatched to parent crocodiles female Kate and male William. One of the things most well known at the facility which significantly increased visitor numbers is a 'cage of death' experience where paying visitors can swim in water with large crocodiles while protected from physical contact with them by being enclosed behind a glass safety dome. As previously mentioned a significant number of other native Australian reptiles are also kept at the facility and publicly exhibited. Mick Burns the owner is also owner of Darwin Crocodile Farm.
