Thorny Devil
The thorny devil (Moloch horridus) is a small, spiny lizard of the Australian deserts. Its skin is covered in conical thorns, and it eats almost nothing but ants.
The thorny devil (Moloch horridus) is a small, spiny lizard of the Australian deserts. Its skin is covered in conical thorns, and it eats almost nothing but ants.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Thorny Devil in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Reptilia lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Drinking Through the Skin
Microscopic channels between the scales draw water by capillary action from damp sand or dew to the corners of the mouth. The lizard can collect water simply by touching a puddle with its feet or belly.
An Ant Specialist
A thorny devil can eat several thousand ants in a meal, flicking them up with its sticky tongue one by one, as it walks slowly along ant trails.
A False Head
A spiny knob on the back of the neck works as a decoy. When threatened, the lizard tucks its real head between the front legs and presents the false one to predators. See Natural selection.
Thorny Devil at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Moloch horridus |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Reptilia |
| Order | Squamata |
| Family | Agamidae |
| Field Guide group | Reptilia (Reptiles) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Body entirely covered in rigid conical thorns, false head appendage on nape, capillary hygroscopic skin channels. |
| IUCN Red List status | Least Concern (LC), assessed 2017 |
| Diet | Ants |
| Water collection | Capillary channels in the skin |
See Also
- Komodo Dragon — another Australasian lizard
- Natural selection — defensive adaptations