Again this visit I spotted an incredible number of Water Dragons sunning themselves in various corners, nooks and crannies of the Parklands. These are magnificent looking creatures and I thought I would share some of the shots I managed to take of just a few of them.
This is the Eastern Water Dragon or Physignathus lesueurii, which grows to around 80 to 90 cms in length, making it rather a large lizard.
This creature has shades of grey or brown with a series of black bands on the back and tail. What great camouflage!
There's a black stripe on the side of the head behind the eyes which makes it look rather distinguished.
They're semi-aquatic lizards, found around creeks, lakes and rivers. They're not called 'Water Dragons' for nothing. They do seem to love the water. At the Parklands I spotted quite a few around the man-made ponds and streams. Apparently they can stay submerged for around half an hour.
This one was enjoying the sun's warm rays beside the Bromeliad Garden pond. You could walk by and almost not notice it, as it blends in so well with the wooden plank walkway.
There are enlarged scales which form a crest down the middle of the head, back and tail. Doesn't it look rather fierce close up?
The legs are long and powerful and flattened on the sides to assist with swimming. They have extremely long toes with rather sharp claws.
Such an impressive creature!
Te potwory są całkiem sympatyczne :-). U nas takich smoków nie ma. Pozdrawiam. *** These monsters are pretty nice :-). We do not have such dragons. Yours.
ReplyDeleteThey are fantastic creatures aren't they? Thanks for visiting Giga.
DeleteI know a young lady who is just going to love the photos in your blog. They are rather regal looking critters. Not too keen on those claws though. Hope you had a fab few days away
ReplyDeleteHi Sue. Thankfully these Water Dragons were pretty laid back and quite used to the humans, so we didn't fear the claws! It was a fantastic few days but it passed too quickly.
DeleteFascinating creatures and nice photos. They do have a fierce look around the head.
ReplyDeleteWe have a similar lizard here in our yard that doesn't seem to like water at all.
Hi Shirley. They do have quite a fierce look but they were quite comfortable with all the human company. They would run off if we got too close. We saw a couple of them taking a dive into the water and disappearing underneath for a while.
DeleteWhat a critter! They do blend in nicely with their surroundings that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteI love your header picture.
FlowerLady
Great camouflage isn't it? Thanks Flower lady. Glad you like the new header. I was after something that showed off the great native flora and fauna around here.
DeleteAs someone who used to be a small boy with a dinosaur fetish (and who in some respects remain one) I am utterly fascinated by this lizard!
ReplyDeleteG'day Flaneur Gardener. They are certainly magnificent looking creatures. My granddaughter thought they looked exactly like dinosaurs.
DeleteIsn't she/he just gorgeous. I love lizards. There are a large family of these guys at the National Botanic Gardens here in Canberra. They are the Gippsland variety, but also indigenous to here. I don't think the Gippsland ones have the yellow eye make up yours have.
ReplyDeleteLinda May, I wasn't sure which were the males and which were the females. They all looked pretty much the same. I went and had a look at the Gippsland variety and they seem to have a lot more colour. Lovely greens and the males have that patch of orange, blue and yellow on the chest.
DeleteGosh that's a scary lizard. Nonetheless, good shots Bernie!
ReplyDeleteThanks Stephanie. Luckily they knew how to hold a pose. They were very still most of the time which made getting good shots a whole lot easier.
DeleteBernie, Even though I live nearby I haven't been to Roms Street Parklands in ages - will have to make time soon. I love water dragons. We get them in the garden sometimes but they don't like Missy.
ReplyDeleteI bet Missy doesn't like them much either. Roma Street Parklands was so lovely. It always is! I try to get there every year and have a wonderful time wandering around.
DeleteHow apt that you featured these little dragons, this being the year of the water dragon on the Chinese calendar. We saw two having a fight in a little cove along the Sunshine Coast at Caloundra when we visited my parents a few years ago. They can inflict nasty wounds on each other despite their seemingly robust hides.
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie, i've been waiting for your posts in the Dry Tropics Garden, so i thought you are on vacation or somewhere. So i came in here and there you are chazing reptiles. I'm sorry i don't like them, they scare me. Even just the house gecko i dont like, although we have them in trees in the farm. I saw lots of them at the Taroonga Zoo! By the way, how do you put different color to the replies area in the comments? thanks.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful creature Bernie. His face and the spikes on the back of his head look a bit like the Boyd Forest dragon, but this one seems a much bigger creature. Lovely photographs. Those parklands look inspriring too!
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