What is that dot on my beardie's head for?

[brillobee]

Today I had Emma outside for some sun amd I was looking at her. And I started wondering about that weird dot in the very centre of her head. I always thought is was to sense heat. Is that true?

 

[TASTIGER]

its her "3rd eye" This eye has a lens and senses direction of light but cannot see images

 

[brillobee]

Weird.

 

[bandit27]

wow a 3rd eye??

I'm gonna look at my guys now

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

That would be the Parietal eye also known as the third eye, like Morgan mentioned.

The parietal eye is a photosensory organ connected to the pineal body, active in triggering hormone production (including reproduction) and thermoregulation. It is sensitive to changes in light and dark, it does not form images, having only a rudimentary retina and lens. It is visible as an opalescent gray spot on the top of some lizard's heads; also referred to as "pineal eye" or "third eye."

 

[SoleSky]

Sick. Dragons are awesome.

 

[finnie]

Thanks for the awsome info on the "third eye". Can you tell me if it is affected if a person touches that spot? A sales person at PetSmart told me once that "you must never touch the dragon there, as it is very sensitive". Do you know if this is true - because I've always been a bit paranoid of rubbing my beardie's head because of this advise. Thanks!

 

[TASTIGER]

i have never heard of that i always pet mine on the head they will actually tilt their head and lean into it :lol: dont listen to pet stores they dont know anything

 

[SoleSky]

Yeah I doubt it too because I always pet my beardie right where his "third eye" is and if it bothered him I'm sure he'd move or show me that it hurt. Don't listen to those petstore people. They told me I should feed my baby beardie two large crickets every other day. Good thing I did some research first lol.

 

[DragonSlave1776]

Mine doesn't care if I touch her there. The petstore people probably didn't know what they were talking about ...

 

[Fuzzyviper]

Yeah, it shouldn't hurt them to touch it. It's basically used as a warning system to the lizard of predatory birds. Iguanas have them too, actually. I'm not sure if it is just larger lizards or lizards that eat vegetation. I will see if I can find anything on that. Basically, the lizard can hang out on branches and generally bask in the sun without having the stare at the sky all day. If a large bird flies over the lizard, the eye picks up the change in light AKA "Hey, there's a bird coming to eat you!" and the lizard can dive for safety. Iguanas in the wild will often bask on branches over water and will literally dive into the water if a shadow passes over them.

The only thing that you need to be careful about is if you have a new or young beardie that is not used to handling, try not to pass your hand over the top of their head since they may register it as a threat and freak out. This is probably why it's recommended to scoop them up from underneath when you pick them up.

 

[sheri85]

wow. i knew it was a heat sensor of sorts, but didn't know it was so...impressive.

Archer doesn't seem to mind me petting his head. and i totally agree with not listening to pet store people--the lady i got Archer from told me to feed him five large crickets a day--they were bigger than his head!!!!

i love learning!