Jaclyn Jaycox - Bearded Dragons

BEARDEDDRAGONS by Jaclyn Jaycox Pebble Explore is published by Pebble, an imprint of Capstone. 1710 Roe Crest Drive North Mankato, Minnesota 56003 www.capstonepub.com Copyright 2021 by Capstone. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is a vailable on the Library of Congress website. ISBN 978-1-9771-2312-1 (library binding) ISBN 978-1-9771-2646-7 (paperback)ISBN 978-1-9771-2320-6 (eBook PDF)ISBN 978-1-9771-4667-0 (eBook) Summary: Text describes bearded dragons, including where they live, theirbodies, what they do, and dangers to bearded dragons.

Image Credits Capstone Press, 6; Dreamstime: Marcel Klimko, 13, Naturesauraphoto,10, Serena Livingston, 15, Smileitsmccheeze, 25; Newscom: Steimer, C./picture alliance / Arco Images G, 19; Science Source: ANT Photo Library, 22; Shutterstock: Ashley Whitworth, 8, Camilo Torres, 17, Cre8tive Images, Cover, Egoreichenkov Evgenii, 18, Ery Azmeer, 14, Frank Kebschull, 24, kurthiggins74, 5, lessysebastian, 21, Ryan Ladbrook, 28, StartNow, 1, stockfotoart, 7, Vaclav Sebek, 11; SuperStock: NHPA, spread 26-27 Editorial Credits Editor: Mandy Robbins; Designer: Dina Her; Media Researcher: Morgan Walters; Production Specialist: Tori Abraham All internet sites appearing in back matter were available and accurate when this book was sent to press.

Table of Contents Words in bold are in the glossary. Amazing Bearded Dragons Do bearded dragons have wings and fly? Do they breathe fire? No! Bearded dragons are not like dragons from stories. They are a type of . Their skin has scales. They lay eggs.

Reptiles are . They cant control their body heat. If its cold outside, they are cold. If its hot, they are hot. There are eight different kinds ofbearded dragons. They are very gentle.

Many people keep them as pets. Where in the World Bearded dragons are found in Australia. They live in warm . Bearded Dragons Range Map PacificOcean Range W N S E NorthAmerica SouthAmerica AtlanticOcean SouthernOcean Africa Europe IndianOcean Asia Australia PacificOcean Bearded dragons spend a lot of time in the sun. They lay on rocks. They need the heat.

It keeps them warm. Sometimes it gets too hot. They underground to stay cool. Bearded Dragon Bodies Bearded dragons are rough and bumpy. They are covered in scales.They have soft spikes along theirsides. They have them on their headsand throats too.

The spikes get hardwhen bearded dragons are scared.Spikes protect them from that attack them. A bearded dragon can puff out its throat. Its neck darkens. It looks like a beard. Thats how bearded dragons got their name. They do this to scare animals away.

Their beards make them look bigger. Bearded dragons can weigh up to 1.1 pounds (0.5 kilograms). They growup to 24 inches (61 centimeters) long from head to tail. Their tails are usuallyas long as their bodies. Some bearded dragons are tan. Others are brown.

They may have a little red or gold mixed in. Their skin can change colors. They turn darker to soak up more heat. They lighten to cool off. A bearded dragon has a triangle-shaped head. The scales on its head help it drink.

When it rains, water gathers on a bearded dragons head. It runs down the scales right to its mouth. Bearded dragons have short legs.Their bodies are wide. They are not fast runners. But they are great climbers. They climb trees to escape predators.

Bearded dragons have eyes on the sides of their heads. They can see all around. They have great hearing too. You have to look closely to spot their ears. They are the two holes on their heads! Bearded dragons dont have to chase . They use their sticky tongues to grab food! Strong jaws help them chew crunchy insects.

Their frontteeth bite and tear prey. These teethfall out and grow back many times. Their side teeth chew plants. On the Menu A bearded dragon sits high up in a tree. It looks at a branch below. It spots a tasty treat.

A bug is walking along the branch. The bearded dragonquietly climbs down. It sneaks up behind the bug. It sticks out its tongue and grabs it. Chomp! Bearded dragons eat many kinds of bugs and worms. They eat plant leaves and flowers too.

Sometimes they eat fruit. Bigger animals are on the menu too. Bearded dragons eat mice and small lizards. When bearded dragons bite their prey, they let out . It kills the prey. Food can be hard to find in the desert.

Bearded dragons eat many different foods. They eat large meals when they can. They might not findmore food for a few days. Life of a Bearded Dragon Bearded dragons are most active in the spring and summer. During winterthere is less sunlight. The weather gets colder.

They sleep more then. They save . Bearded dragons send each othermessages. Males will bob their headsat smaller males. This shows they are bigger and stronger. The smaller onemight wave to agree.

Or he may bob his head to show he wants to fight. Males also bob their heads and wave their legs to attract females. Bearded dragons usually live alone. They come together to . They mate in the spring and summer. Females dig a burrow.

They lay their eggs in it. They can lay more than 20 eggs at a time. A group of eggs is called a . Females can lay up to nine clutches a year. The eggs hatchabout two months later. Baby bearded dragons are calledhatchlings.

They are about 4 inches(10 cm) long. The mother doesnt care for them. They are able to take care of themselves. They eat small insects. Young bearded dragons shed every few weeks. They get rid of old skin.

New skin grows. They grow bigger. They shed many times. At two years old, they are fully grown. Adults shed only twice a year. They can live up to 10 years in the wild.

Dangers to Bearded Dragons Bearded dragons have many predators. Birds, snakes, and large lizards try to eat them. Wild dogs and foxes hunt them too. People are the biggest danger to bearded dragons. People clear land for cattle farming. They build roads and buildings.

They cut down trees and bushes. Bearded dragons are losing their homes. Bearded dragons are popular pets. In the past, too many were being taken from the wild. They were sold as pets. Australia now has laws against this.

People cannot take bearded dragonsfrom the wild. Fast Facts Name: bearded dragon Habitat: deserts, savannas, woodlands Where in the World: Australia Food: plants, bugs, worms, fruit, small lizards, mice Predators: birds, snakes, large lizards, wild dogs, foxes Life span: up to 10 years Glossary (BUHR-oh) to dig a hole; a burrow can also be a hole in the ground that an animal makes (KLUHCH) a group or nest of eggs (KOHLD-BLUH-duhd) having a bodythat needs to get heat from its surroundings (E-nuhr-jee) the strength to do active thingswithout getting tired (HAB-uh-tat) the home of a plant or animal (MATE) to join together to produce young (PRED-uh-tur) an animal that hunts other animals for food (PRAY) an animal hunted by another animal (REP-tile) a cold-blooded animal that breathes air and has a backbone; most have scales (suh-VAN-uh) a flat, grassy area of land with few or no trees (VEN-uhm) a liquid poison made by an animal to kill its prey Read More Andres, Marco. Bearded Dragons. New York: PowerKids Press, 2018. Davin, Rose. Lizards.

North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2017. Mara, Wil. Bearded Dragons. North Mankato, MN: Capstone Press, 2017. Internet Sites Bearded Dragon Facts for Kids kids.kiddle.co/Bearded_dragon Bearded Dragon Facts & Worksheets kidskonnect.com/animals/bearded-dragon/ Lizard animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/lizard Index Australia, colors, communication, dangers, deserts, ears, eggs, eyes, hatchlings, heads, legs, life span, mating, pets, predators, prey, reptiles, savannas, scales, shedding, size, spikes, tails, teeth, throats, tongues, venom, woodlands, .

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