Rankinia is a genus containing three species of small agamid reptiles, commonly known as heath dragons, found in Australia. These dragons occur in heathlands, sandplains, and wooded country in southern regions of Australia. They are pale in colour, usually grey-brown, although males develop a reddish hue in the breeding season. This allows them to blend with their habitat; they are a ground-dwelling species found amid leaf litter and sand. Rankinia species are timid in their behaviour, and will only briefly break from the cover of vegetation. Their burrowing behaviour is unique in Australian dragons; they cover all but their snouts with a shuffling action, burying themselves in the sand; this behaviour may help the dragons to regulate their temperature.