Thorny devil

가시도마뱀

The thorny devil is a small Australian desert lizard covered in sharp cones for defence. Grooves between its scales channel dew and rain to its mouth, and it feeds almost only on ants, thousands in a day.

See it on the 3D globe →

At a glance

Class: Reptiles
Lives in: Central Australian deserts
Diet: Insect eater
Length: about 0.2 m
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: deserts

Quick answers

Where does the Thorny devil live?

It lives in deserts. On the globe you can find it near Central Australian deserts.

How big is the Thorny devil?

It grows to about 0.2 m.

What does the Thorny devil eat?

Its diet: insect eater.

Is the Thorny devil endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

The thorny devil is a small lizard of the Australian deserts that looks like a tiny dragon. It grows to about 21 centimetres long including the tail, and females are a bit bigger than males. Its whole upper body is covered in sharp cone-shaped spines, and two large horn-like scales stand on its head. It is found only in Australia.

The spines protect it from predators, and its sandy brown colours blend in with the desert, changing from paler in heat to darker in cold. It has a spiny false head on the back of its neck. If threatened, it bows its real head and shows the false one. It can live for 15 to 20 years and feeds almost only on ants.

A lizard that drinks with its skin

Water is rare in the desert, so the thorny devil collects it with its skin. Narrow grooves between its ridged scales act like tiny channels. When dew or rain touches any part of the body, the water is pulled along the grooves by capillary action to the mouth. It can also shovel damp sand onto its back and then drink the moisture.

Slow and well hidden

The lizard walks in a strange stop-and-rock way as it hunts for ants, water and mates. It can eat thousands of ants a day. It was first described by scientist John Edward Gray in 1841. Its name Moloch comes from an ancient god shown as a horrible beast, and it is not closely related to the North American horned lizards that look similar.

Fun facts

It drinks through grooves in its skin that carry water to its mouth, and it eats thousands of ants a day.
It collects water through channels in its skin that lead to its mouth.
It eats thousands of ants a day.
The spiny knob on its neck is a false head made of soft tissue.
The look-alike horned lizards of America are only distant relatives.