• Backyard Buddies Home
• Meet your buddies
• Backyard habitats
• Buddy in trouble
• Become a backyard buddy
• Subscribe to B-mail
• Talk about your buddies
• Show off your buddies

Lucky enough to have an Eastern Water Dragon in your backyard?

Well, the eastern water dragon is not quite as big as the ones we read about in books (it's a bit over half a metre long), but this beautiful, mysterious creature has rough scales, sharp spines and ancient features that resemble fairytale dragons. And like the mythical beasts, these dragons are seldom seen. Often the only clue to their presence is a splash as they drop into water from an overhanging branch.

Eastern water dragons are grey-brown in colour with black banding, and some have a red belly and chest. Usually a broad black band extends through the eye. A crest of spines runs from the head to the tail.

Water dragons are different from all other lizards - they have four well-developed limbs, each with five claws, and a tail that is longer than the body.

They walk on all fours but can run at high speed on their hind legs.

Water dragons eat berries and flowers from native trees if insect numbers are down. Males are larger than females, sometimes reaching 80 cm in length. Males are very territorial and will not tolerate another mature male in the same area.

You can make your neighbourhood friendlier for eastern water dragons

Eastern water dragons will live for years in peaceful gardens with a large pond or creek nearby, and may sometimes be seen in golf courses and parks.

You can help by protecting native shrubs and trees that overhang creeks near your house, as these provide a home for water dragons.

Pollution in creeks is bad news for water dragons. So stop garden and household chemicals from washing into waterways.

It's not usual for people to keep them as pets. However laws in all states and territories in Australia protect all reptiles and anyone wishing to keep reptiles should first contact their state environment department.

What Eastern Water Dragons like and dislike

Easter Water Dragons like:

• fresh water provides a variety of insects, a place to hide and a home.
• overhanging trees and shrubs which are perfect for spying the next meal and for basking in the sun to maintain a warm body temperature.
• Leaf litter where insects, a favourite food, are found.
• Friendly gardens where they can hide from cats or dogs that may chase them.

But they don't like:

• Garden pesticides which contaminate snails, spiders, cockroaches and other insects, which water dragons like to eat.
• Cats, dogs and foxes that intimidate them. Water dragons are unlikely to be found in areas where they roam.

Be an Eastern Water Draon buddy

Try to:

• Get outside and observe water dragons if you have water that runs near your house.
• Remove weeds that encroach on creek lines.
• Keep cats and dogs away from areas where water dragons live.

Avoid:

• Going too near water dragons - they have sharp claws!
• Releasing chemicals in waterways.
• Removing trees that overhang creeks.

Don't be surprised if:

• You never see them, and only hear them dropping into water.
• They stay underwater for up to an hour. This enables them to escape from the most persistent of predators.
• You find them sleeping on tree branches in the summer months.
• You see eggs deposited in a tunnel in a river bank. It takes 65 days for eggs to hatch. Newly hatched offspring stay near the entrance of their burrow for some time.

Adopt a cuddly Backyard Buddy and help the
animals in the wild.

Call 1800 283 343