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1629 Australian National Botanic Gardens - Canberra, ACT

Australian National Botanic Gardens - Gippsland Water Dragon or Australian water dragon

 

The Australian Water Dragon (Physignathus lesueurii), which includes the Eastern Water Dragon (P. l. lesueurii) and the Gippsland Water Dragon (P. l. howittii) subspecies, is an arboreal agamid species native to Eastern Australia from Victoria north to Queensland. Australian water dragons are extremely shy in the wild, but readily adapt to continual human presence in suburban parks and gardens. They are fast runners and strong climbers. When presented with a potential predator, they seek cover in thick vegetation, or drop from an overhanging branch into water. They are able to swim totally submerged, and rest on the bottom of shallow creeks or lakes for up to 90 minutes to avoid detection.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gippsland_Water_Dragon

 

The Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) are located in Canberra and are administered by the Australian Government's Department of the Environment and Heritage.

 

The botanic gardens are the largest living collection of native Australian flora, the mission of the ANBG is to study and promote Australia's flora. The gardens maintains a wide variety of botanical resources for researchers and cultivates native plants threatened in the wild.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_National_Botanic_Gardens

 

www.anbg.gov.au/gardens/index.html

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Uploaded on January 19, 2013
Taken on November 9, 2011