Thorny Devil

## About

A thorny devil.

The thorny devil ***(Moloch horridus)*** is an unusual reptile native to the more arid desert regions of Australia stretching from Western Australia through to Queensland, the Northern Territory and regions of South Australia. The Thorny Devil gets its name from its prominent display of spikes or "thorns" that appear prolific all around the reptiles body. This unusual possession of thorns acts as a defence mechanism against predators acting as a trait of intimidation towards animals like snakes, black-breasted bustards ***(Lissotis melanogaster)***, dingoes ***(Canis lupis dingo)*** and even lace monitors ***(Varanus varius)*** better known as tree goannas. They posses a display of yellow, brown and orange colours to blend in to their desert environment in order to camouflage. Most of the thorny devil's relatives, like bearded dragons ***(Pogona barbata)***, Australian water dragons ***(Intellagama lesueurii)*** and frilled necked lizards ***(Chlamydosaurus kingii)***, thorny devils have a circular bulbed tip on the end of their tail that is always up in the air and acts as a 6th sense for danger. Thorny Devils like any other reptile are also cold blooded meaning that they must spend ours a day in their sun in order for their body to regulate energy, Their overall lifestyle resembles that of a bearded dragon. Thorny devils will only reach 20cm (7.8in) for males causing them to be smaller in terms of Australian reptiles. Though thorny devils have the option to puff up and turn on their side when they are threatened in which results as an act of intimidation.

## Diet

Thorny devils eat nothing but ants only specifically spinifex ants ***(Ochetellus flavipes)***. That is right, the thorny devil's diet consist of nothing but ants, and lots. thorny devils are thought to consume thousands in one day. Thorny Devils are 100% active predators during the day and act as sit and wait hunters. The Thorny Devil is known to track ant trails and wait for the ants the come by the Thorny devil only for the Thorny Devil to then indulge itself in an ant feast.

## Conservation Status

Thorny devils are a very adaptive reptile species as they are able to withstand some of the most unforgiving climates on the globe, hence living on the driest inhabited continent on Earth. Because of they have been listed as least concern via the IUCN, This recording of their conversation status means that they are not currently threatened by humans and that their population numbers are stable and not at risk of a decline.

## Range and Population

As Mentioned previously thorny devils adopt the dry arid desert of western and central Australia as their home, because of the thorny devil's diet and way of life they can also inhabit; shrub land, dense forested regions and even tropical areas, meaning they are an extremely well adapted animal. According to Animalia.bio thorny devils have a very important ecological niche as they contribute lots of positives to the environment as insectivores they are locally seen as a animal that has a great impact on the ecosystem. Though being able to adapt to so many different nieces and climates Thorny devils experience relative competition with creatures that share the same climates and biomes with them such as lace monitors which are one of their biggest threats in terms of predators.

## Behaviour

The thorny devil live a lot like most of their relative reptiles in the sub arid parts of Australia. As mentioned before they are 100% diurnal (active during the day time) and live a defense based lifestyle as well as having a very effective defense mechanism. It has already been covered that thorny devils may puff up when threatened but they also will slam their tail against the ground and become flat only showing their spikes to any possible attacker, pushing as much pressure to the ground as possible. Tactics exploited by the thorny devil are all highly effective which strings well with living a solitary and high alert life style. Predators often will avoid thorny devils as they are just that much of a pain to get a meal out of, and not worth the struggle. According to Animalia.bio thorny devils also partake in burrowing which accounts to even more safety even when they are asleep.

### Relationship with Humans

Thorny devils are known to be completely harmless to humans and humans have had little to no effect on thorny devils. It is possible for thorny devils to be kept as pets but often it appeals to challenges because of the extreme quantities of ants in which they consume daily. Humans rarely come into contact with thorny devils, as the reptile lives in one of if not the most uninhabitable climates on the globe.

## In Captivity

Thorny devils are not that common in zoos in Australia, or for that matter anywhere around the world. Primarily because of their reasonable conservation status and the fact that their diet is quite extreme for a reptile of its size. Though one zoo in Australia ASDP, has had recent newborns of thorny devils in their zoo during February 2017, and should be recognised for their hard work.

## Sources

* IUCN Red List of Threatened Species - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/83492011/83492039
* Animalis.bio - https://animalia.bio/thorny-devil
* Alice Spring Desert Park - https://www.zooborns.com/zooborns/alice-springs-desert-park/