This is a central netted dragon, a native lizard that lives in small burrows. They can grow up to 26cm if conditions are good, with the tail growing up to 16cm and the body growing up to 10cm. They feed on small insects or small plants depending on what is abundant in the area. The Central netted dragon is found in the central Australian outback, from the Western Australian coast to western New South Wales and Queensland. These small lizards spend their day’s sunbaking, hunting for food or hiding in burrows at night and during the hottest part of the days to escape the suns blistering heat.
This little guy was found in an Esky in a shops outdoor storage area. Work experience student Kane Mooney Said “The white light reflecting off the Esky’s interior makes him very visible to birds and predators so when we rescued him he was a little shaken up, however once we put him in a dark box with some plants and water he cheered up and decided to take a nap, while standing up!” (See photo below).
The Central netted dragon gets its name from the net shaped patterns on its back and head; these help it to blend in with sticks and dirt so predators don’t notice it. The dragon’s legs and feet are extremely strong so it can run at great speeds and dig burrows. When these lizards are in the wild they live for an average of 3-4 years but when in captivity this is almost doubled.
Since it is the beginning of summer more and more of lizards like this one will be going outside to sunbake and get warm, this is because reptiles are cold blooded and need the sun to stay active and hunt.
More often than not lizards will make their own way out of houses but if necessary you can put them into a container (with hole so it can breathe) and release it into a shaded area near where you found it. We will release this netted dragon later in the day, when the sun isn’t so hot and there aren’t any predators around.
If you are in the Roxby region and unsure of what to do with a reptile or animal you have found or if you are just interested to know more about it call Arid Recovery on 08 8671 8282.
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