Beardies being introduced to Colorado

[bigsad9000]

I'm gonna log out for today but we can continue this tomorrow I definitely want to keep going with this discussion because I think theres alot to talk about. Though we did have to improvise a little bit but that's alright.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Some real data for Colorado .

The lowest point in Colorado is found on the Arikaree River where it flows into Kansas, at an elevation of 1011 meters (3317 feet). This spot is also the highest low point of any US state. This is already pushing the limit altitude wize for all bearded dragon species.
Bear in the mind this limit in Australia is much closer to the equator that in Colorado.

Latitudes of Colorado are +37 deg Latitude to +41 deg Latitude.
Latitudes of mainland Australia are between -39 deg Latitude and -10 deg 41min Latitude.

The minimum elevation in Colorado of 1000m is like shifting north by several degrees.

Danielson, Levin and Abrams (2003, p. 389) do cite a "rule of thumb" that a 100-meter increase in elevation is roughly equivalent to a one-degree increase in latitude . ref Journal of Geography 105(3):133-135 · May 2006 .
So 1000m altitude is equivalent a shift in altitude of 10 deg latitude shift , ie Colorado's equivalent latitude range using the lowest point as the basis is +47 deg Latitude to + 51 deg Latitude which is a LONG WAY out the range that bearded dragons have evolved for.

Latitudes of mainland Australia are between -39 deg Latitude and -10 deg 41min Latitude.


https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Colorado/temperature-november.php
Warmest night time temperature in November in Colorado is -2 degC
This will freeze any feral bearded dragons solid and kill them.

https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Colorado/temperature-january.php
Warmest night time temperature in November in Colorado is -5 degC, any feral bearded dragons will be beardieicles and long dead, even if sheltering in a rocky crevice or hollow long somewhere.

https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Colorado/temperature-january.php
Warmest night time temperature in November in Colorado is -5 degC , see above.

 

[kingofnobbys]

Well for starters , this map shows a large area categorized as DESERT, this is very misleading and very inaccurate , the area is not "sahara like" , it's savannah and dryland woodlands.
Only a few % of the natural range of bearded dragons is actually desert.

This is not correct either for P.Vitticeps .

So compare these two images. This is where there distribution is. Now for the diet.

I think they could take up a diet similar to horned lizards. Arizona deserts have monsoons sometimes so I think they could also easily get water from these. They could mostly feed on ants since their the most common but then supplement with other insects and arachnids and plants. They would have many predators like bullsnakes, rattlesnakes, hawks, and large tarantulas. When it comes to tarantulas I think it would be a different relationship. I think they would frequently battle sometimes the dragon would win sometimes the tarantulas would win sometimes. It would be back and forward. But because they breed so quickly I think they could avoid extinction if they just laid low for a while. They would have to also watch out for poisonous plants like jimsomweed, oleander, water hemlock, castor bean, and others. They would either build a resistance to the toxins or learn to completely avoid them.

I think they would learn that monsoons are a life giver so they would be more active after one of these. That's the best chance you'll get to see the awesome American bearded dragon and other species along with it in this hypothetical world.

Now I did also want to know if they would be an issue but I'll give my thoughts first. I think there would be enough environmental hazards and predators to keep the population under control but idk I'm not a biologist.

Actual range of P.vitticeps from https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:3b41b2e8-0f48-491d-af40-1ad48b07297f

Actual range of P.barbata from bie.ala.org.au data

Actual range of P.minor minor from bie.ala.au data

Provided the winter min temperatures NEVER fall under 5 degC , there is a chance in some very restricted areas of southern and western Arizona that feral P.Barbata or P.Minor Minor might survive winter , the first night with temperatures under 2 deg C will be lethal.
Refer to data for hyperthetical area :
https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Arizona/temperature-arizona-january.php
https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Arizona/temperature-arizona-december.php
https://www.currentresults.com/Weather/Arizona/temperature-arizona-november.php

I would certainly not be housing a pet bearded permanently outdoors in a pit or cage in Arizona (over winter especially) or any where in Cororado.

Bearded dragons are highly territorial, THEY DO NOT MIGRATE SEASONALLY.
Therefore surviving feral bearded dragons in southern or western Arizona WILL NEVER migrate to southern Colorado. Nor will feral bearded dragons in Colorado migrate to warmer climes in southern and western Arizona in fall.

 

[bigsad9000]

Thanks for the accurate data I think I'll just refer to your graphs from now on.

We are giving ourselves just a liiiittle bit of wiggle room and assuming that because they breed so fast they HAVE to find more space. Were also trying to put them in the lowest altitude of Arizona even if it's still too high for discussion purposes. We are also gonna have them in these restricted lands for discussion purposes since it seems they'd be most comfortable in these places. I think this already happens in nature. I cant recall the name but I believe theres this species of small frog that only lives in one specific place near one waterfall so theres that

Hi I just woke up but I may not reply for a while since I'm going somewhere.