Thorny devil (Moloch horridus)
Thorny devils have extremely sharp spines that effectively deter any predators that might want to bite or swallow it.
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Thorny devils hatch
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About the Thorny devil
Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus) is an Australian lizard. It is also known as the Thorny Dragon, Mountain Devil, Thorny Lizard, or the Moloch and is the sole species of genus Moloch.
It grows up to 20 cm (8 in) in length and can live up to 20 years, coloured in camouflaging shades of desert browns and tans; these change from pale colours when warm to darker colours when cold. The species is entirely covered with conical spines that are mostly uncalcified. It also features a spiny "false-head" on the back of the neck, the animal presents this to a potential predator by dipping its real head. Females are larger than males. The Thorny Devil's body is ridged in structure, and enables the animal to collect water from any part of its body, which is then channelled to the mouth.
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Common Names
- Moloch
- Thorny dragon
- Thorny lizard
The Thorny devil is
Adaptation data provided by Animal Diversity Web
Where can I see them?
This region contains the following habitats:
Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder
Elsewhere on the web
- Moloch horridus (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- DigiMorph: skull scans and animation (digimorph.org)
- Outback Wildlife Rescue: fact file (outbackwildliferescue.com.au)
- Thorny Devil (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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