What is a thorny devil?
The thorny devil is a small, spiky lizard of Australia's deserts. Covered in cone-shaped spines, it eats only ants and can drink water through grooves in its skin.
Thorny devils grow to about 20 centimetres long. Their yellow, brown and red patterns blend with desert sand, and their spines make them hard for predators to swallow. They live in sandy deserts and scrublands of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
A thorny devil eats thousands of small ants in a single meal, licking them up one at a time beside an ant trail. It moves slowly with a jerky, rocking walk that may help it look like a leaf moving in the wind.
Drinking through skin
Tiny channels between the scales draw moisture from damp sand, dew or rain toward the corners of the mouth by capillary action. The lizard can then swallow the water.
On the back of its neck, the thorny devil has a spiny knob often called a false head. When threatened, it tucks its real head between its front legs, presenting the false head to predators.
Despite its fierce look and name, the thorny devil is harmless to people.
Did You Know?
The thorny devil's scientific name, Moloch horridus, refers to an ancient god and to its horrid appearance.