Our Mascot - The Eastern Water Dragon

The Eastern Water Dragon was adopted as Penrith’s symbol for sustainability in 2003 and features on the logo to brand Council’s Sustainable Penrith program.

Chosen to represent the environmental, social, and economic health of Penrith City, the Eastern Water dragon symbolises a healthy environment, strong communities, well being and prosperity. 

The Sustainable Penrith logo
The Sustainable Penrith Logo was designed by the Australian Museum Business Services and aims to illustrate the connectedness of environmental, social and economic factors as they relate to sustainability.

A symbol of well being and prosperity, Eastern Water Dragons are long-living, sociable creatures, which live together in communities. They live along the banks of the many creeks and tributaries of the Nepean River, and their numbers along the creek banks are a good indicator of the health of the City’s waterways. 

The water dragon itself represents the environment, and the support it stands on, based on Council’s River, Mountains, Lakes brand, symbolises the support the community can provide to the environment and that Council provides to its communities. Standing alert, positive and forward looking, the stance of the Water Dragon reflects the principles underlying the Sustainable Penrith program.

A species profile on the Easter Water Dragon as prepared by The Australian Museum Business Services is available here .

About Water Dragons

Water dragons (Physignathus lesuerii) belong to the lizard family Agamidae and are Australia’s largest dragon lizards. Found only along the east coast of Australia, their average body length is 20 cm, not including the tail.

Eastern Water Dragons are semi-aquatic lizards that feed and live near creeks, rivers and lakes. They inhabit the creeks and river systems of Penrith as well as the vegetation that grows alongside these waterways. Eastern Water Dragons are found in the Penrith area largely because of its diverse range of creek and river habitats.

Eastern Water Dragons have rough, spiny scales and are often armoured with enlarged spines or scales on the head, backbone and tail. They will often lift their head s to display the bright red colour on their throats and chests. This can be used to attract or threaten other water dragons and startle predators. To avoid conflict, Eastern Water Dragons may drop straight into water where they can stay hidden for long periods of time, even sleeping there, with only their nostrils exposed.

Eastern Water Dragons are diurnal, meaning that they are active during both day and night time hours. During this period of activity, they hunt for insects, frogs, yabbies, water insects, fruit and berries. They are generally active all year, but in cooler areas, can have a winter dormancy period. During this period, the dragons dig a small hole under a rock or log and seal the entrance until spring when they emerge.

The species breeds during spring. Mating occurs near waterways where the males defend territories. The females then lay their eggs away from the river in nests. These nests are small depressions in the ground that are later covered with soil. Female Eastern Water Dragons lay between 10 and 20 eggs from October to December, with hatching occurring in summer.

Scientists at the University of Canberra are currently studying Eastern Water Dragons to determine the impact climate change may have on Australia’s native animals. As the eastern water dragon is found in many different climate zones across Australia, the way they adjust to temperature changes may offer vital clues to how native animals will cope with human-induced global war ming. This work will also help us to understand how species of turtles, lizards and fish will deal with increased global temperatures.

Have you seen a Water Dragon out and about in Penrith City?  Let us know to help us build a database of Dragon sightings.  Just tell us when, where and how many you saw. To view our data base check out our  Sustainable Penrith Blog.

To find out more about the Eastern Water Dragon or Herpetological Societies you can visit:

Australian National Botanic Gardens
Hawkesbury Herpetological Society
Herpetological Societies in NSW
The Australian Herpetological Society

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