Thorny Devil

The Australian lizard that eats ants one at a time

The Thorny Devil or Moloch (Molochorridus) is a strange Australian desert lizard easily identified by the many large thorn-like spines that entirely cover its fat body and tail. Because it looks so odd, it was named after a demon, Moloch, to whom children were offered as sacrifice!

But the Moloch is completely harmless and employs a variety of methods to protect itself from predators when foraging on the ground. It is slow-moving and when frightened, it tucks its head between its front legs creating an unappetizing looking helmet-like lump which would be very difficult to swallow. Together with its rather terrifying looking spines, it relies on camoflage and changes colour to match its environment.

In the harsh desert environment, the Thorny Devil has a most unusual way of collecting water. Deserts become very cold at night and when dew forms on the lizard's skin, thousands of tiny grooves allow the dew to spread quickly over the lizard's body, finally making its way to the lizard’s mouth

Ants for dinner
The Thorny Devil has curious food habits as well. Its favourite food is ants and when it locates them, it eats them one at a time! It sits for hours by a nest, flicking up one ant at a time with its sticky tongue. Thousands of ants may go into one meal. The Thorny Devil has been known to eat about 45 ants a minute.