Despite their camouflage and thorny spines, thorny devils are not immune to predation. Australian aborigines and bustards, both visual predators, have been observed to prey upon thorny devils. Once, while tracking a medium-sized thorny devil, I encountered a sand goanna, Varanus gouldi , which I collected and preserved for later analysis in the lab. I remain amazed that the thorny devil's spines didn't puncture the monitor's thin stomach wall. I also found another small thorny devil in the stomach of a racehorse monitor lizard, Varanus tristis .
Raptors are also probable predators of thorny devils.
Parasites Thorny devils are usually heavily parasitized, with almost all individuals having many nematode worms, Parapharyngodon kartana and Abbreviata sp. These parasites probably exploit ants and termites as intermediate hosts and various species of lizards as their final hosts. Recently described cestode parasite of Moloch , named Oochoristica piankai . Thermoregulation Thorny devils are heliotherms, relying on solar energy to raise their body temperatures above ambient temperatures. Body temperature varies directly with air temperature.