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Water Dragon lurking under water (mostly)
Australian Water Dragons (Intellagama lesueurii) are large dragon lizards, reaching a length of more than two metres. You’ll often spot them close to creeks and other bodies of water (hence the name, Water Dragon). Sometimes, you’ll see them actually in the water:
They can stay under water for an hour before coming up to breathe! From a distance, their heads are easy to mistake for a piece of log sticking up. As you draw closer, the rest of the body becomes clearer. This is a different dragon in a nearby spot:
They’re completely at home on the land too. When you approach them, they tend to stay still, pretending to be a tree stump, until you get too close.
Water Dragons eat insects, fruit, and flowers.
A few days ago, I came across a Water Dragon that had spotted a piece of litter (a wet tissue or picnic wipe) and was nosing it when I came along. The video shows the dragon’s characteristic side-to-side gait as it moves away from the litter. (I picked up the litter and took it away.)
Water dragon chillin’ in a tree
This Australian Water Dragon has draped itself over a tree branch, catching some sun on a cool wintry morning:
Here’s a close-up of that lovely head, eye closed in a lazy doze:
Australian Water Dragons (Intellagama lesueurii) are large dragon lizards, reaching a length of more than two metres. During the cold winter months, they burrow a hole for themselves, then slow down their metabolism and go into a state of brumation. We’re in the middle of autumn now — it must be about time for this one to head underground! They eat insects, flowers, and fruits such as figs and Lilly Pilly berries.
I spotted the Water Dragon at Manly Dam, north of Sydney, Australia. Here’s a zoomed-out view of the scene. You can see the lizard’s tail hanging down from the bush on the right-hand side of the dam:
Lace monitor lizard in a tree
I was walking along, my gaze in the treetops as usual, looking and listening for birds. I heard a frantic scurrying on the path ahead of me, and was just in time to see a lace monitor lizard scramble onto a tree. The lizard hid for a while at the base of the tree, observing me:
I was intrigued and a little nervous. This was a big lizard, about as long as I am tall. I’m close to 6 foot! Lace monitors are also known as tree goannas (Varanus varius). They can grow to two metres (seven feet) in length and weigh up to 14 kg (30 pounds). They’re predators, living off birds and eggs, other reptiles, and small animals.
I encountered this one a couple of days ago in Manly Dam National Park (map), on the east coast of Australia slightly to the north of Sydney.
The monitor made its way slowly up the tree, flicking its forked tongue in and out, as you can see in this video:
In the following picture, the lizard has reached a safe height and paused to observe me again:
Look at those hands!
Here’s a far-away picture of the lizard on the tree, to show its size and its surrounds:
What a gorgeous, wild creature to encounter on a morning walk.
Blue-tongued Lizard in my garden
Every now and then we spot a Blue-tongued Lizard in our garden. These lizards are large and slow-moving. This one was about the length of my forearm and about the width of my wrist.
Blue-tongues are skinks, a type of lizard that has overlapping scales, with a small bony plate in each scale on its head. They have small legs, and the back legs in particular often don’t do much.
In this video you can see the lizard’s blue tongue flicking in and out:
Blue-tongues live a long time, sometimes up to 20 years. They eat small creatures, including small snakes and funnel-web spiders. A good friend to have in your garden!
It’s always a pleasure to see such a lovely wild creature living amongst us.
Big lizard climbing tree near Sydney
The things birds in Australia have to put up with! This is a Water Dragon up a tree, probably looking for a nice breakfast of eggs:
What a lovely long tail it has! Perfect for keeping a grip on a tree branch. Australian Water Dragons reach 90 cm in length. They have large heads which they can lift up quite high above the level of their bodies. Their scientific name isItellagama lesueurii lesueurii.
Water dragon in a tree
Not a bird this time. This is an Australian water dragon – a reasonably large lizard that climbs trees and loves water. This one is about 60 cm long, the length of my arm without my hand.
I first spotted it when walking underneath the branch it was on. See the impressively long tail:
Here’s a side-on view. Apologies for the silhouette. The lighting was difficult:
This is a close-up of its head and hands:
Common name: Eastern water dragon
Scientific name: Intellagama lesueurii lesueurii
Approximate length: 60 cm
Date spotted: 25 October 2014
Season: Spring
Location: Manly Dam National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Latitude/longitude: 33°46’24.1″S 151°15’05.5″E
Sydney Birder 