So at my work we were getting low on some reptiles, and bearded dragons being one of them, we needed to order more. so i get the breeders inventory sheet and i noticed that they had no more babies in stock and i was very upset, and we didnt want any more adults. so i scrolled down the sheet and noticed that they had baby rankins dragons and they were on sale for $50. So i told the owner that he had to get a few(we always joke about me being 1/3rd owner of the store) and i explained to him what they were. so he ordered a few. I already have a 5month old beardie and me being the good little beardie addict that i am, decided to order one for myself because i have plenty of spare tanks n bulbs n fixtures. So needless to say my little guy will be there tomorrow or thursday and im pretty excited does anyone on here own one and if so i would like to hear how they are for ya? Thanks :wink:
rankins only get to be about a foot when theyre full grown. instead of the 18-24 you would get with a bearded. and they dont have much of a beard like a bd would have.
They are also more social, they can exist in groups quite nicely. They don't have a expandable beard, its incorrect to call them a type of beardie. There spikes look different, most all have a bow tie design on the back and they keep their baby faces. There care is very close to a beardies but Rankins don't eat quite as many greens.
I was always under the impression they were a type of beardie just like there is the eastern bearded dragon etc.
Rankins is a type of pogona isn't it? Or am I mistaking? ( now that I think about it, maybe I am lol)
They are in the same genus but I wouldn't classify them as different breeds but different species. Breeds are man-made variations of a domesticated animal. I guess the closest I would call a breed scientifically would be a subspecies? I think they're classified differently because of genetics and physical differences.
As I was typing this up, I found a great picture of the differences in these two species. It is an very unusual stock photo.
Seeing them together makes it more obvious than seeing them separately. My guess is that the species evolved a form of neoteny, which is where a species keeps the juvenile or baby characteristics but can sexual reproduce. An example of this are dogs. Dogs look and act like wolf pups but are sexually mature and can reproduce. Rankins are cute little lizards but I like the size of the more common beardie. More body to snuggle with at night. :wink: