{"id":11061,"date":"2022-04-29T07:03:51","date_gmt":"2022-04-29T07:03:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/?p=11061"},"modified":"2022-04-29T07:03:52","modified_gmt":"2022-04-29T07:03:52","slug":"iguana-vs-bearded-dragon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forestwildlife.org\/iguana-vs-bearded-dragon\/","title":{"rendered":"Iguana Vs Bearded Dragon: What’s The Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You\u2019ve probably heard of iguanas and bearded dragons. If you\u2019ve ever seen pictures of them, you probably thought they look pretty similar. So, what are the differences and similarities between them? Which type of lizard makes a better pet? Keep reading! In this article, we\u2019ll compare and contrast the iguana vs. the bearded dragon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is an Iguana?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"What
Iguana<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An iguana<\/a> is a medium to large lizard native to Central and South America, though they are commonly found in Florida and other extreme southern parts of the U.S. well. They are commonly kept as pets in the U.S. and throughout the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are 30 species of iguana, many of which grow up to 7 feet long. Iguanas can live for up to 20 years in captivity, though 10 to 12 years is a more common lifespan; they typically live for even fewer years in the wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iguanas are commonly found in tropical forests and swamps. As tropical animals, they need warm temperatures of at least 75 degrees and high humidity levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iguanas have long bodies with short, stout legs, triangular shaped heads, and long tails. Many of them have a row of distinct spines down their head, neck, back, and tail, and they all have a prominent, loose hanging skin flap under the chin; this skin flap is called a dewlap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iguanas can become aggressive, especially during mating season or whenever they are feeling threatened by something. They will stiffen their dewlap, shake their head, open their mouth, and attempt to stand up taller when displaying aggressive behavior; they may bite or attempt a \u201cdeath roll\u201d <\/em>if further threatened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iguanas are mostly herbivores; they will eat leaves, flowers, fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods. Some species will occasionally eat insects and small mammals as well, but most are strictly herbivores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iguanas sometimes dive into water and swim away to escape predators. Marine iguanas, in particular, are excellent swimmers and can stay underwater for as long as 15 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a Bearded Dragon?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"What<\/a>
Bearded Dragon<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The bearded dragon<\/a> is a small, adorable lizard native to Australia, though it is commonly kept as a pet throughout the world. There are multiple subspecies of bearded dragon, and they range in size from 4 to 24 inches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bearded dragons, or \u201cbeardies,\u201d <\/em>grow based on their environment\u2013if they are kept in too small a tank, for example, they won\u2019t grow as large as they could. Males are also generally larger than females.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beardies are generally short and low to the ground with four short legs, a tail about half of their body length, and a flat, triangular shaped head. They have rows of spikes on the sides of the body as well as around the head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The name \u201cbearded dragon\u201d<\/em> comes from the pointy scales on their chins that puff out and change color when the lizard feels threatened. This puffing and color-changing scheme makes it look like the lizard has a beard, as you can see in this short video:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bGZw5b4KD8M<\/a>