Reptiles · Squamata · Agamidae
Thorny Devil
Moloch horridus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
The thorny devil, or moloch, is a small lizard covered entirely in conical spines, including a knob on the nape that acts as a false head. It eats nothing but ants: it can take several thousand a day, one at a time, with a sticky tongue. Its skin collects water from any source and channels it to the mouth by capillary action, so it never needs to drink.
Weight
3 kg – 9 kg
Size
15 cm – 20 cm
Lifespan
20 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- GeneralIt channels dew along grooves in its skin to its mouth, and eats almost nothing but ants.
- fisiologíaIt can take up water straight through its skin, on capillary channels between its scales that carry it to the mouth.
- It drinks through its skin: a network of microscopic channels between the scales collects dew, rain or even moisture from damp sand and carries it by capillary action to the corners of its mouth, against gravity.
- It has a false head: a spiny knob on the nape that it presents when it tucks the real one down, offering a predator a solid decoy target.
- It eats nothing but ants, as many as three thousand a day taken one at a time, and its feeding rhythm is synchronised with the ant columns of the Australian desert.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Sandy desert and arid spinifex scrub
- Size at birth
- About 6.5 cm on hatching
- Sexual maturity
- 3 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 120 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 8 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moloch_horridus
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: From August to December in the Australian desert, by day, walking slowly along sandy tracks; at the height of summer it becomes less active.
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 11 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Thorny Devil — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Frilled Lizard
Chlamydosaurus kingii
Central Bearded Dragon
Pogona vitticeps
Eastern Brown Snake
Pseudonaja textilis
Common Bluetongue
Tiliqua scincoides
Rough Knob-tail
Nephrurus asper
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about thorny devil.
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