Ambassador Animal CollageRyujin's Habitat

Supplies- Glue stick- Scissors- Printed images (attached) or magazines to cut up

What is a Habitat?A habitat is a home, a place where an organism lives. It includes all living and nonlivingfactors of the surrounding environment. Ryujin's natural habitat is characterized bysand, gravel, rocks, trees, and bushes.

IntroductionCollage is the artistic process of cutting,gluing and assembling materials to asurface. Use the images provided to makea collage of Ryujin's natural habitat!

Print out the next page and cut out the images. Ask an adult for help if you need it.

InstructionsUse the images attached (or magazines you have at home) to construct a collage that

represents Ryujin's natural habitat.

1.

2. Assemble (place) the images on your paper in a way that makes most sense to you.

3. Glue the images onto your paper.

4. Hang your habitat up and share with the IMAS using #imasmuseum.

Bearded Dragon

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Family: Agamidae

Genus: Pogona

Species: P. Vitticeps

CharacteristicsBearded dragon lizards are "bearded" because of the dragon'sability to flare out the skin in the throat area when it feelsthreatened or territorial. They have spines on their throat, sidesof the head, and sides of the body. They can be found in an arrayof colors and patterns, most in the tan/beige gradient. Their skincolor helps them camouflage, or blend, in to their environment. Adult males grow up to 2 feet in length (including the tail) and canlive up to 10 years in captivity (typically 6-10 years in wild).

BehaviorsBearded dragons are opportunistic feeders, meaning that they will not searchfor prey (animal hunted for food) but rather wait until prey is in sight. They are diurnal(active during the day) and terrestrial (spending time on land). To appear menacingwhen threatened or territorial, they will puff out their beard, flatten their body and mayopen their mouth wide. One neat adaptation (a change to better survive) is theirparietal eye, or "third eye." Bearded dragons use this parietal eye to detect any shadowsabove, helping them survive against avian predators such as hawks.

DietBearded dragons are omnivores, so they eat both plants and animals. In the wild, beardeddragons typically eat bugs, worms, small rodents, flowers, and fruit. At the museum, ourbearded dragon Ryujin eats mealworms, crickets, greens, and fruit.

Pogona vitticeps

I can run up to nine miles an hourwhen in extreme danger.

My tail cannot grow back, soplease be careful with it.

HabitatIn the wild, the bearded dragon's rangeextends across most of Australia. Theytypically prefer warm, arid areas: deserts,subtropical woodlands, savannas, andscrublands. It is hot most of the year andcooler during the winter, which causes themto brumate (go in to a state of slowerfunction). They live on the floor on/underrocks, sand, gravel, and sometimes trees.They can also be found basking on rockswhen in need of heat.

Conservation StatusThis bearded dragon is very common in the wild and captivity and is not listed asthreatened. However, numbers are in decline due to loss of habitat from the impact ofhuman activity. Ryujin is an IMAS Ambassador Animal, an animal used to educatemuseum visitors on the importance of maintaining a balanced ecosystem.

ReproductionBearded dragons reach maturity at 8-18 months. Mating takes place during the summermonths, between September and March. During courtship, males and females will performa dance until the female responds with a slow head bob and arm wave, giving the okay tomate. The female can lay 20 eggs in a clutch. If fertile, the eggs will hatch in 55-75 days.