---
title: "What the sources say about the Thorny Devil | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "57 claims from the Thorny Devil profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/thorny-devil-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/thorny-devil/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Thorny Devil (*Moloch horridus*)

> 57 claims from the Thorny Devil profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Thorny Devil](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/thorny-devil/)

## Moloch horridus (thorny devil). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Moloch_horridus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a spiny false head decoy | a prominent spiny "false head" on the top of their skull |
| big spines with no bone inside them | Their large spines are entirely boneless, only two parietal spines are supported by modest bony bosses on the skull. |
| Only ants, mainly Iridomyrmex and Crematogaster, caught by waiting near cover for them to pass along their trails | they eat only ants. They primarily eat ants of the genera Iridomyrmex (especially Iridiomyrmex rufoniger) and Crematogaster ... finding a feeding site near cover and waiting for their ant prey to pass. Iridomyrmex species are eaten as they pass in terrestrial trails and Crematogaster species are eaten mainly from their trails |
| Grooves between its scales collect water and carry it by capillary action, even against gravity, to the corners of its mouth. | The base of each spine is surrounded by a deep interscalar groove that effectively collects water and these grooves interconnect to enable capillary movement of water along the body, even against the pull of gravity, as on the legs. These grooves continue onto the head and empty into the angle of the mouth for drinking. |
| Females are larger than males, averaging 45.5 grams and reaching as much as 88.7 grams, while males average 31.2 grams | Females are larger than males, averaging 45.5 g (range 33 to 88.7 g) ... Males average 31.2 g |
| A thorny devil eats only ants, mainly two groups, Iridomyrmex and Crematogaster | they eat only ants. They primarily eat ants of the genera Iridomyrmex (especially Iridiomyrmex rufoniger) and Crematogaster. |
| A Sit-and-Wait Ant Eater | they eat only ants ... They are "sit-and-wait" predators |
| Water that climbs its legs | capillary movement of water along the body, even against the pull of gravity, as on the legs |
| The grooves around its spines link up, letting water move along its body by capillary action, even against gravity as on the legs | The base of each spine is surrounded by a deep interscalar groove that effectively collects water and these grooves interconnect to enable capillary movement of water along the body, even against the pull of gravity, as on the legs. |
| They continue onto the head and empty into the corners of its mouth for drinking | These grooves continue onto the head and empty into the angle of the mouth for drinking. |
| A Fake Head and Boneless Spikes | Thorny devils have numerous thorny spines along their bodies, including a prominent spiny "false head" (note: 'Boneless' is claimed separately against ADW: 'Their large spines are entirely boneless') |
| Golden and brown patches camouflage a thorny devil so well that it can escape detection even at close quarters | marked with golden and brown patches that serve to camouflage them in their arid habitats. They are extremely difficult to find because of their camouflage and escape detection even at close quarters |
| Its large spines are entirely boneless; only two, on the skull, sit on small bony bumps | Their large spines are entirely boneless, only two parietal spines are supported by modest bony bosses on the skull. |
| a predator such as a goanna, an Australian bustard or a black-breasted buzzard | Thorny devils are preyed on by Australian bustards (Ardeotis australis), humans (Homo sapiens), black-breasted buzzards (Hamirostra melanosternon) and goannas (Varanus) |
| the thorny devil tucks its real head down between its front legs and presents a spiny false head | When threatened by a predator they tuck their head between their forelegs and present the "false head," making it difficult for anything to swallow them. |
| making it difficult for anything to swallow it | When threatened by a predator they tuck their head between their forelegs and present the "false head," making it difficult for anything to swallow them. |
| When threatened, it can also puff itself up with air, making it harder to handle | They will also puff themselves up with air when threatened, making themselves more difficult to handle. |
| A thorny devil has a prominent, spiny false head | a prominent spiny "false head" on the top of their skull |
| the thorny devil tucks its real head down between its forelegs and presents this false head instead, making it difficult for the attacker to swallow it. | When threatened by a predator they tuck their head between their forelegs and present the "false head," making it difficult for anything to swallow them. |
| a predator such as an Australian bustard, a black-breasted buzzard or a goanna | Thorny devils are preyed on by Australian bustards (Ardeotis australis), humans (Homo sapiens), black-breasted buzzards (Hamirostra melanosternon) and goannas (Varanus) |

## Thorny Devils. Bush Heritage Australia.

https://www.bushheritage.org.au/species/thorny-devil

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Dry sand country, spinifex grasslands and scrub across large parts of Western Australia, the southern Northern Territory, South Australia and western Queensland | Their range covers most of arid Australia – large parts of Western Australia, the southern half of the Northern Territory, South Australia and western Queensland. They live in dry sand country, spinifex grasslands and scrub. |
| one can eat a thousand in a day | in one day an individual can eat a thousand ants |
| a small, thorn-covered lizard of the Australian deserts | is a small desert lizard found across arid and semi-arid Australia ... Being covered in thorny spines |
| growing up to about 20 centimetres long | Growing up to 20 cm long |
| In the wild it can live up to 20 years | Lifespan: Up to 20 years ... they can live up to 20 years old in the wild |
| It ranges across large parts of Western Australia, the southern Northern Territory, South Australia and western Queensland, in sand country, spinifex grasslands and mulga scrub | Their range covers most of arid Australia – large parts of Western Australia, the southern half of the Northern Territory, South Australia and western Queensland. They live in dry sand country, spinifex grasslands and scrub. (note: 'mulga scrub' from ADW's habitat description, a second source for the same habitat type: 'acacia scrub ("mulga")') |
| It finds a feeding site that has cover and waits for ants to pass along their trails, lapping them up with its short, sticky tongue | In the morning and late afternoon they'll find a feeding site that has cover and wait for ant prey to pass in trails that they can lap up with their short, sticky tongues. |
| it can change colour to blend into its surroundings | Devils can change colour to blend into their surrounds |
| Its slow, rocking walk might confuse predators that spot it in the open | tail lifted, they walk along with slow, jerky movements backwards and forwards. This might be a defense mechanism to confuse predators when they're spotted in the open. (note: 'rocking' gait also in ADW: 'walk with a characteristic slow, rocking gait') |
| on the back of its neck | head on the back of its neck (note: Bush Heritage places the false head 'on the back of its neck'; ADW says 'on the top of their skull') |
| Thorny devils eat only ants | Thorny Devils only eat ants. |
| One finds a feeding site that has cover and waits for ants to pass along their trails, lapping them up with its short, sticky tongue | In the morning and late afternoon they'll find a feeding site that has cover and wait for ant prey to pass in trails that they can lap up with their short, sticky tongues. |
| Ants are relatively low in nutritional value, but a thorny devil has a large stomach, and in one day an individual can eat a thousand. | Ants are relatively low in nutritional value, but devils have large stomachs and in one day an individual can eat a thousand ants! |

## Comanns et al. (2017). Adsorption and movement of water by skin of the Australian thorny devil (Agamidae: Moloch horridus). Royal Society Open Science.

https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.170591

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Skin That Carries Water | enables them to collect water by capillarity and passively transport it to the mouth for ingestion |
| A droplet set on the skin of a live thorny devil spread evenly outward over more than 9.2 millimetres within about ten seconds, moving through roughly 1,600 channels | Skin water transport of thorny devils was symmetric ... the applied 7 µl water droplets were transported radially over more than 9.2 mm within about 10 s. This transport takes place within about 1600 channels of the hexagonal capillary network (note: 'evenly outward' renders 'symmetric' and 'transported radially' (abstract: 'there was no directionality in cutaneous water transport (unlike Phrynosoma)'); 'live' from the abstract: 'We characterized this capillary water transport for live thorny devils using high-speed video analyses') |
| The channels are built in levels: a wide main channel between the scales, divided by protrusions into smaller channels that stretch the water's travel distance by about 39 percent | we found that the channels are hierarchically structured as a large channel between the scales that is sub-divided by protrusions into smaller sub-capillaries ... the sub-capillary structure extends the transport distance by about 39% (note: 'built in levels' for 'hierarchically structured'; 'smaller channels' for 'sub-capillaries') |
| A network of channels between its overlapping scales carries water by capillary action across a thorny devil's skin to its mouth | Their microstructured skin surface, with channels in between overlapping scales, enables them to collect water by capillarity and passively transport it to the mouth for ingestion. |
| A droplet set on the skin of a live thorny devil spread evenly outward over more than 9.2 millimetres within about ten seconds, moving through roughly 1,600 of those channels | Skin water transport of thorny devils was symmetric ... the applied 7 µl water droplets were transported radially over more than 9.2 mm within about 10 s. This transport takes place within about 1600 channels of the hexagonal capillary network (note: 'evenly outward' renders 'symmetric' and 'transported radially' (abstract: 'there was no directionality in cutaneous water transport (unlike Phrynosoma)'); 'live' from the abstract: 'We characterized this capillary water transport for live thorny devils using high-speed video analyses') |
| The channels are built in levels: a wide main channel between the scales, divided by protrusions into smaller channels that stretch the water's travel distance by about 39 percent. | we found that the channels are hierarchically structured as a large channel between the scales that is sub-divided by protrusions into smaller sub-capillaries ... the sub-capillary structure extends the transport distance by about 39% (note: 'built in levels' for 'hierarchically structured'; 'smaller channels' for 'sub-capillaries') |
| moving water along passively, with no effort from the lizard | enables them to collect water by capillarity and passively transport it to the mouth for ingestion (note: 'with no effort from the lizard' glosses 'passively') |

## Comanns et al. (2011). Moisture harvesting and water transport through specialized micro-structures on the integument of lizards. Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology.

https://doi.org/10.3762/bjnano.2.24

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Its scales carry a honeycomb-like micro-texture that lets it collect moisture over its entire body surface, and a complex system of capillary channels runs between them | All three lizards have a honeycomb like micro ornamentation on the outer surface of the scales and a complex capillary system in between the scales ... the condensation of air humidity is improved on this surface by about 100% in comparison to unstructured surfaces. This allows the animals to collect moisture with their entire body surface. (note: the three lizards studied include the thorny devil) |

## Comanns et al. (2016). Cutaneous water collection by a moisture-harvesting lizard, the thorny devil (Moloch horridus). Journal of Experimental Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.148791

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Capillary skin channels that pull water from a puddle to its mouth | with capillary channels in between imbricate overlapping scales, enable the lizard to collect water by capillarity and transport it to the mouth for ingestion ... Thorny devils standing in water can fill their capillary system and then drink from this water |
| Filling that whole system takes a volume of water equal to about 3.19 percent of the lizard's body mass | The water volume required to fill the skin capillary system is 3.19% of body mass. |
| standing in water it can then drink from that skin-held water at roughly 0.7 microlitres per jaw movement | Thorny devils standing in water can fill their capillary system and then drink from this water, at approximately 0.7 µl per jaw movement. |
| Condensation from warm, moist air onto a cool thorny devil provided water equal to about 0.22 percent of its body weight, which was not enough for drinking | Condensation facilitated by thermal disequilibrium between a cool thorny devil and warm moist air provided skin capillary filling to approximately 0.22% of body weight, which was insufficient for drinking. |
| standing on nearly saturated moist sand could only fill the channels to 59 percent of capacity, with no drinking recorded | Thorny devils standing on nearly saturated moist sand could only fill the capillary channels to 59% of their capacity, and did not drink. |
| The researchers suggest that rain and moist sand seem to be its likely regular water sources | Our results suggest that rain and moist sand seem to be ecologically likely water sources for M. horridus on a regular basis. |
| Filling the capillary system across its skin takes a volume of water equal to about 3.19 percent of its body mass | The water volume required to fill the skin capillary system is 3.19% of body mass. |
| standing in water it can then drink from that skin-held water at roughly 0.7 microlitres per jaw movement. | Thorny devils standing in water can fill their capillary system and then drink from this water, at approximately 0.7 µl per jaw movement. |
| Condensation from warm, moist air onto a cool thorny devil provided water equal to about 0.22 percent of its body weight, which was not enough for drinking. | Condensation facilitated by thermal disequilibrium between a cool thorny devil and warm moist air provided skin capillary filling to approximately 0.22% of body weight, which was insufficient for drinking. |
| Standing on nearly saturated moist sand filled the channels to only 59 percent of their capacity, and the lizards did not drink | Thorny devils standing on nearly saturated moist sand could only fill the capillary channels to 59% of their capacity, and did not drink. |
| The researchers suggest that rain and moist sand seem to be its likely regular water sources. | Our results suggest that rain and moist sand seem to be ecologically likely water sources for M. horridus on a regular basis. |

## Meyers & Herrel (2005). Prey capture kinematics of ant-eating lizards. Journal of Experimental Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.01345

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In a 2005 study its prey capture stood out, with no body lunge, a faster tongue, less handling of each ant and control over the slow opening of its jaws | Prey capture was strikingly different in M. horridus to that of other species, being characterized by a suite of unusual behaviors including the lack of a body lunge, faster tongue protrusion, reduced prey processing and, most notably, the ability to modulate the slow open phase of the gape cycle. (note: 'less handling of each ant' paraphrases 'reduced prey processing' (its prey is ants); 2005 is the paper's year (Meyers & Herrel 2005)) |
| Together these made a single feeding event faster than in any other iguanian lizard, its own lizard group, studied to that date | In concert, these traits make a single feeding event in M. horridus faster than that in any other iguanian lizard studied to date. (note: 'to that date' dates the record to the 2005 paper) |
| eats ants without a body lunge | Prey capture was strikingly different in M. horridus to that of other species, being characterized by a suite of unusual behaviors including the lack of a body lunge (note: vibe.reason, settled in #224: the study filmed lizards 'feeding on ants' (abstract); replaces 'desert' and 'outback', place words the pairing rule forbids) |
| each feeding event faster than in any other iguanian lizard studied by 2005 | In concert, these traits make a single feeding event in M. horridus faster than that in any other iguanian lizard studied to date. (note: vibe.reason, settled in #224: 'by 2005' dates 'to date' to the paper's year, as the body's claim does; the relentless motorik pulse) |

## Doughty et al. (2017). Moloch horridus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T83492011A83492039.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2017-3.rlts.t83492011a83492039.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). |