The Eastern Water Dragon is found on the east coast of Australia from Victoria to Queensland. They usually live near creeks and ponds, they can stay under water for 90 mins to avoid their predators, which are snakes, cats, dogs and foxes.
This and the next photo were taken some years ago in the garden. The dragon is shy and can run away fast but they do adapt to human contact in parks and gardens especially if fed. They eat insects and shouldn't be fed human food.
This is a juvenile. The dragon hibernates in winter. In Spring the female lays 6 to 18 eggs in a shallow burrow. I often see a lot of young ones running around the garden and occasionally mum and dad.
The next shots were taken near the beach. The female grows to 60cm but the male can reach a metre. Its tail is two thirds of its length.
They spend a lot of time basking in the sun as they are cold blooded. They have spikes running down their back.
They are quite cute and you don't need to be scared of them.
Sometimes Wally and I scare each other in the garden. I don't see him because he is well camouflaged and when he suddenly stands up and runs off I nearly jump out of my skin. If they think they are cornered they will open their mouth wide and hiss while showing you the bright orange lining in their mouths, to try and frighten you away. Males are territorial and are aggressive to each other.
