Brief Answer
Yes, bearded dragons can actually hear you! They have two lobes on the sides of the skull but not very similar to human structures. The holes do have a function in helping them detect sounds.
Bearded dragons hear almost all types of sounds, although they tend to detect more low-spectrum ones. They wouldn’t understand the meanings of words like dogs or cats, but they can recognize familiar voices, like yours, over time.
This helps keep them safe or know when food is coming. Only remember, loud noises scare them, so talk softly and help maintain their environment as peaceful as possible.
Detailed Answer
Bearded dragons are indeed fascinating reptiles and are kept as pets mainly due to their friendly nature and interest towards curiosity inducing behaviors. Being a bearded dragon owner, you must have asked a few questions about how they perceive their world and whether they hear you.
“Do Bearded Dragons Hear You?” or perceive any sounds, including voice from their owner? Here we shall discuss the auditory powers of the bearded dragons, the usage of senses of these animals, and what that means for your interactions.
In this article, “do bearded dragons hear you?” we go deep into the world of bearded dragon hearing and find out exactly what they can hear.
What are Bearded Dragons?
First, let us take a brief look at who they are before discussing whether they can hear. Bearded dragons (Pogona) are medium-sized lizards from Australia. They are known for their spiky “beard” puffed up on threat or excitement and have gained popularity as pets in more and more places.
Living in the wild arid or semi-arid environments has fashioned a very unique set of senses in them. This has helped them survive. Their ability to hear plays a pretty major role in their ability to detect predators or engage in social behaviors.
The Sense of Bearded Dragons
As with most reptiles, bearded dragons rely much on their senses to interact with their environment. Their eyesight, for one example, is phenomenal; they can spot prey from afar.
What about their sense of hearing? The perception of sounds is varying among reptiles, but it is clearly an important feature for their existence. Bearded dragons hear to detect sounds around them and threats in the environment.
Significantly, they do not hear like humans, but their sense of hearing is quite developed compared with other reptiles.
Do Bearded Dragons Have Ears?
Yes, bearded dragons do have ears! They might not have visible external ears like the mammals, but you do find visible ear holes on the sides of their heads leading directly to the inner ear for the processing of sound vibrations.
They don’t have outer ears; it does not mean they have poor hearing, but the ears are designed to their particular requirements in nature. It could be low-frequency sensation required to know if something harmful, like a predator or another lizard, is around.
How Well Bearded Dragons Hear?
Generally, bearded dragons have a relatively wide range of hearing, though narrower than that of a human.
The bearded dragon’s primary sensitivity in hearing is the lower to mid-range frequencies; this helps the animal pick up on the very faint vibrations of the ground or rustling nearby.
Bearded dragons can detect an average of 500 to 4,000 Hz in sounds. In comparison, a human’s range is 20 to 20,000 Hz. Therefore, bearded dragons are much more sensitive to low-pitched sounds such as ground vibration or deeper vocalizations.
How Bearded Dragons Utilize Their Audition
Bearded dragons primarily apply the sense of hearing to get safe in their natural habitat. They can feel the vibrations made by a predator, other dragons, or even a prey scurrying about not too far away.
The sense makes their sharp eyesight more comprehensive for them. But hearing is also a part of social communication. Bearded dragons don’t “talk” like humans but use body language, and of course, their activities do come with sounds when they appear to be threatened or are territorial.
Do Bearded Dragons React to Human Voices?
One of the most common questions owners have is if their bearded dragon recognizes their voice.
Although bearded dragons do not understand the meaning of words, it would still be able to recognize familiar sounds including your voice over time as associating the sound of your voice with food, safety, and other experiences.
You probably have realized that your bearded dragon has a response to certain vocal tones, if you are speaking in a calm or excited tone. They turn their head or even move towards you when you talk, indicating that they have learned to associate it with something good like food or handling.
Comparing Bearded Dragons’ Hearing with Other Reptiles
Compared with other reptiles, the hearing of the bearded dragons is pretty good.
In contrast, snakes have no outer ears at all and rely much more on vibrations alone and less so in processing airborne sounds.
Geckos and other lizards are almost identical in terms of ear structure to bearded dragons, so they would essentially have the same range of hearing.
How to Talk to Your Bearded Dragon
Since bearded dragons are also responsive to sounds, especially their familiar voices, an association needs to be developed.
Therefore, talk to your dragon softly and continually while offering food or handling it. Never forget, everything matters for the tone and volume because loud and sharp noises might scare them away, while softer tones would help to soothe them.
Can Bearded Dragons Understand Words?
They might not understand words in the way a dog might or a parrot might, but bearded dragons can associate sounds with outcomes.
For example, you can use a particular word and find that your dragon starts to associate that noise with food.
Hearing and Other Senses:
A Complete Package Bearded dragons rely on several senses simultaneously. Their very keen eyesight helps in finding prey and even for noticing things that appear like vibrations or lower frequency sound in the environment to effectively detect possible danger.
These senses combined will give your dragon a proper understanding of its surroundings.
How to Maintain Care for Your Bearded Dragon’s Ears
As with all pets, bearded dragons need proper care to maintain their senses at prime condition.
Ear problems are relatively rare, but you should regularly check for signs of infection, such as swelling or discharge, near the ear holes of your dragon. If you suspect any problems, consult a vet that has experience with reptiles.
Do Loud Noises Bother Bearded Dragons?
Indeed, sudden noises can be rather stressing for a bearded dragon. Bearded dragons need their habitat to be calm and quite because they can easily identify the softest sound with their sensitive hearing. Thus, repeated loud noises can be very stressing, so therefore, try to make the environment of your pet as quiet as possible.
Conclusion
In fact, bearded dragons can hear you, except their range is not the same as human beings.
In fact, they are capable of hearing low and mid-range frequencies that help them get around and can even remember some sounds, such as your voice.
In all probability, they won’t understand words, however, with a better situation, like this peaceful one, you will be able to make your bearded dragon associate those sounds with nice experiences.
Create peaceful interaction with the gentle, constant speech to enhance bonding with your
FAQs
1. Do bearded dragons understand you talk to them?
Bearded dragons are non-verbal creatures meaning that they do not understand words but can identify your voice after sometime.
2. How sensitive is a bearded dragon to hearing?
Bearded dragons are sensitive and have the ability to hear the noise even when it is quiet.
3. Do bearded dragons get shocked by noise?
Yes, loud or shocking noise tends to shock bearded dragons.
4. Do bearded dragons recognize us?
Bearded dragons can see humans and distinguish between forms and motion.
5. Do bearded dragons bond with you?
Yes, bearded dragons feel relaxed and secure if they know you.
6. Does a bearded dragon miss you?
Yes, yes, some bearded dragons might actually miss you when you are away.