This Spiky Lizard Eats Thousands of Ants Every Day

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Quick Take

• The Thorny Devil is a small, four-inch lizard perfectly adapted to survive Australia’s harsh, arid desert environments.

• Advanced defenses include spiky armor, leaf-like walking movements, and a “false head” decoy to trick larger predators.

• Thorny Devils strategically position themselves along trails to consume thousands of ants daily.

Despite its intimidating name, Moloch horridus—better known as the thorny devil—is actually a small desert lizard found in Australia. It’s one of Australia’s most striking-looking reptiles. As seen in this YouTube video, the thorny devil is like a miniature dragon; it’s packed with defensive and survival features that allow it to thrive in even the most inhospitable conditions.

Small and specialized, the thorny devil moves easily through the arid scrublands and deserts of its native Australia. Despite its fearsome appearance, the thorny devil is actually a small and unassuming reptile. However, the thorny devil must constantly eat to maintain its energy, often sitting along active trails to consume thousands of ants at a time. With their specialized diet, unique movements, and false heads, thorny devils are among the most distinctive reptiles on Earth.

Meet the Thorny Devil

Also known as Moloch horridus, the thorny devil is a lizard species endemic to Australia. The sole species in the genus Moloch grows up to 8.3 inches long, with females usually being larger than males. First described by biologist John Edward Gray in 1841, thorny devils exhibit aspects of convergent evolution with North American horned lizards. Their name reflects their striking appearance.

Thorny devils have two large, horned scales on their heads, giving them a distinctly devilish look. They are usually colored in shades of desert brown and tan that function as camouflage in the Australian outback. Additionally, their coloration can shift from pale to darker tones during colder months. Every square inch of these reptiles is covered in conical spines, which help deter predators from treating them as a meal. When that fails to ward off threats, thorny devils lower their heads between their front legs and present their false heads.

Surviving the Elements

The thorny devil’s spiky body gives it a frightening appearance, but the spikes serve a practical purpose beyond just deterring predators. The ridged scales that run along a thorny devil’s body collect water. From there, capillary action transports water through channels in the skin to the mouth. These lizards rub their bodies against moist surfaces to absorb water through their skin.

Thorny devils also move in a unique, jerky, swaying manner when traveling across the hot Australian scrublands. Though they prefer to sit still, when thorny devils do move, they use distinct, jerky, swaying motions. As seen in this YouTube video, this is actually a shrewd tactic designed to confuse aerial predators by mimicking the movement of leaves.

Yum Yum Yum

Thorny devils don’t like to move much if they can avoid it. However, this lack of urgency is a feature, not a flaw. That’s because these spiky lizards are able to feast simply by sitting still. Thorny devils eat some grubs but primarily subsist on ants. They adopt a ‘sit-and-wait’ approach. These reptiles locate an established ant trail, settle in, and wait for ants to pass by. Once the ants start moving through, thorny devils scoop up thousands of ants in a single sitting. Thorny devils need every advantage possible to survive in the nutrient-scarce, inhospitable scrublands of the Australian outback.

Watch the Video

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The post This Spiky Lizard Eats Thousands of Ants Every Day appeared first on A-Z Animals.