My Bearded Dragon is Smarter Than a Baby

Border Collies can learn over 1,000 words, crows can remember faces, cats have problem-solving skills, yet not much is known about the intelligence of reptiles, specifically bearded dragons. Bearded dragons are the most popular reptile to keep as pets, yet minimal research has been done on their behavior and brain functions. Many owners fail to understand the complexity of their minds due to the little research being done. Through my own bearded dragon, I conducted a study comparing human baby intelligence to that of a 4-year-old bearded dragon. 

The study was posted by Geert Stienissen, and they showed a baby’s abilities with their sensorimotor stage. My study is comparing the human baby’s forming sensorimotor stage to an adult bearded dragon’s formed sensorimotor stage. This was done through a test that tested their object permanence. Babies aged zero to two had a desired object shown to them before it was hidden under a blanket. Humans at this age were shown to have difficulty comprehending where the object went, and many lost interest rather quickly. At this stage, object permanence is forming, which allows space for confusion and misunderstanding to take place.

 When a similar test was done with my bearded dragon, there were surprising results. Instead of using a toy for a desired object, I used a superworm. The bearded dragon went to eat it before the worm was covered by my hand. My lizard fixated on where the worm was and comprehended that the worm was still there; he just couldn’t see it. My hand opened and closed in a constant pattern, and within seconds, my bearded dragon recognized the pattern and got the worm before my hand closed again. This shows a level in the sensorimotor stage that is equal to or higher than that of a human baby. The bearded dragon was able to show understanding of experiments, reflexes, and object permanence at a level that exceeded the results of the babies in that study. 

Since they are such popular pets, they need to have more research done on their intelligence and mental needs. It wasn’t until 2020 that reptile keepers realized bearded dragons could not be kept in a 40-gallon tank. Bearded dragon behaviors, such as waving and head bobbing, are misread. By trying to understand them more, we can hope to improve reptile welfare and the understanding we humans have on intelligence of other species.