Details
Moloch horridus
The thorny devil is a spiny desert lizard of Australia. It feeds on tiny ants and can channel water along grooves in its skin toward the mouth.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It inhabits Australasian desert and grassland. Dry sandy country, sparse vegetation, and ant-rich semi-arid areas are typical.
Length 15-20 cm; weight 30-90 g. Sharp spines cover the body, and a false-head swelling sits behind the neck. Color shifts among browns and yellows that match the sand.
Diurnal and solitary, it walks slowly with a rocking gait. When threatened it lowers the real head and presents the false head.
A carnivore, it specializes almost entirely on ants. It stands near ant trails and flicks the tongue repeatedly to collect them.
Females dig nests in sand and lay eggs. Hatchlings grow alone while feeding on small ants.
It is listed as Least Concern. Its water-channeling skin and spiny camouflage are classic desert adaptations.
