Spot the Lizard: Kangaroo Point Photo’s Hidden Water Dragons

What started as a morning stroll in Kangaroo Point turned into an internet phenomenon when a Brisbane resident snapped a photo of well-camouflaged water dragons hiding in plain sight.


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The innocuous image posted to Reddit challenged viewers to spot all the lizards blending seamlessly into the leaf litter. As people joined the quest to locate the elusive reptiles, the post quickly went viral, attracting hundreds of comments and upvotes.

“Went for a walk down by Kangaroo Point under the Captain Cook Bridge. Can you find all 10 Water Dragons?” shared the resident, who made the original discovery during his daily walk.

Water Dragons
Australian Water Dragon (Photo credit: Australian Museum)

Water dragons are the largest species in the dragon lizard family found along the east coast of Australia. Despite their intimidating name and size, reaching up to a metre long, the lizards are generally shy and timid creatures.

The image struck such a chord that some people even claimed to have visited Kangaroo Point themselves to try and spot the lizards in person, though with little success in the dimmer evening light.

In the viral photo, the most obvious water dragons can be seen clustered near the top. But a couple of the better-hidden ones, basking in the sun and facing the camera directly, provided an extra challenge that stumped many viewers initially.

Water Dragons
Photo credit: dgj69/Reddit

“This is like some kind of native Australian Where’s Wally? game. Found ’em,” commented one Reddit user.

“Zoomed in and found 10. One was still difficult to see,” said another.

“That one in the sun spot clearly had a quest for you. I hope you accepted!” wrote one.


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Whilst the fifteen minutes of fame may be over for this particular group of dragon ambassadors, the experience has raised public appreciation for Brisbane’s fascinating reptilian residents and their masterful disguise abilities.

Published 21-May-2024