Rankin's Dragon

Looks how to spot one

Spiny scales, compact dragon

Looks like a pocket-sized bearded dragon: a compact, rounded body and a shorter, blunter snout than its larger cousin. Its natural colouring is in earthy tan, brown, olive or grey tones that blend into dry Australian scrub.234

Personality what they are like

Easygoing and social, and an enthusiastic basker. It is happy to be handled gently but does not like being held tightly or tipped onto its back, so let it rest on an open palm.23

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Active by day and spends much of it basking. Give it hides and several places to climb.23

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Needs a strong 10-12% UVB tube running at least two-thirds of the enclosure length. Dust live food with supplements, and keep the setup dry with low humidity.3

Home where they are happiest

A well-ventilated vivarium of about 120 x 60 x 60 cm (4 x 2 x 2 ft) is recommended; Wikipedia gives a minimum of about 150 litres (40 US gallons). Basking spot 38-43 °C over about a third of the enclosure, cool side about 27 °C, with the warm end kept near 27 °C at night. Low humidity; substrate of coarse woodchip, a sand-soil-clay mix or a bioactive soil.32

Food basics what goes in the bowl

An omnivore. Offer live insects such as crickets and locusts plus a daily salad of greens like spring greens, kale and herbs with grated carrot or bell pepper. Softer grubs and worms are occasional treats once or twice a week.3

Company who they like around

More tolerant of company than the central bearded dragon and can share an enclosure more easily, but males should not be kept together.23

The story where it all began

Wells and Wellington described the species in 1985, naming it after the Australian poet Henry Lawson. Witten described the same lizard again in 1994 as Pogona brevis, a name now treated as a synonym, while the hobby name Rankin's dragon stuck from an unpublished label. Most captive animals outside Australia descend from a small number exported in the 1980s.12

Recognised by the official bits

The Reptile Database

Pogona henrylawsoni Wells & Wellington, 1985; Pogona brevis Witten, 1994 is treated as a junior synonym. The hobby name 'rankini' was never formally published (nomen nudum).1

IUCN Red List

Assessed by Wilson & Melville (2017).2