The Thorny Devil.
The Thorny Devil lizard is also known as the Mountain Devil or Thorny Dragon (moloch horridus). It inhabits the scrub and desert of Central Australia. It is about 20cm long can weigh up to 90gms. It starts breeding at about 3 years and lays around 3 to 10 eggs in a shallow chamber about 30cm under ground which hatch in 3 to 4 months. It can live up to 20years. It is a slow moving lizard and feeds on ants and can eat thousands of ants in a day. The Mountain Devil has a very rough skin and a horny protrusion like horns on its head and body. It is able to collect water in the protrusions and then channel it to its mouth.
The thorny scales are a defence against predators and it can also change colour due to the seasonal conditions and area in which it lives. 
It will change colour depending on the colour of soil it is crossing and the air temperature, turning pale colours when warm and darker when cold. This ability allows it to fully blend into the area that it chooses to live in and makes it nearly invisible. Louise Numinas paintings of the Mountain Devil lizard depict the lizards ability to camouflage itself and blend into its suroundings. |
