Table of Contents
How do thorny devils use camouflage?
The variety of red, brown, yellow and white colours and uneven body shape allow the Thorny Devil to effectively camouflage in the desert environment. In fact, their robotic-like movement adds to their camouflage ability (see video below), as their frequent freezing makes them harder for a predator to detect.
Are thorny devils an endangered species?
The Thorny Devil is an endangered animal. People have been saving the Thorny Devil’s nests and eggs by placing wire enclosures around the nests. By doing this they are keeping predators out and hold the babies in after hatching.
How does the thorny devil use capillary action?
Grooves on spikes of thorny devil lizard provide drinking water by drawing condensed dew to mouth by capillary action. The Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus) can gather all the water it needs directly from rain, standing water, or from soil moisture, against gravity without using energy or a pumping device.
What special ability does the thorny devil have?
Some specialized lizards, like the Australian thorny devil (Agamidae: Moloch horridus) and the Texas horned lizard (Iguanidae: Phrynosoma cornutum), have a spectacular ability to harvest environmental moisture using their skin [17,18].
What is purpose of thorny devil?
The thorny devil is spiked as a form of defence against predators. The slow-moving lizard sits on ant trails to feed, picking off ants one by one with its tongue as they walk by. This makes the devil a stationary target for would-be predators, who are warded off by the spikes that make the lizards difficult to eat.
What phenomenon allows the thorny devil to drink water using its skin?
Moisture-harvesting lizards, such as the Australian thorny devil Moloch horridus, have remarkable adaptations for inhabiting arid regions. 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.
What kind of adaptations does the thorny devil have?
Moloch horridus Adaptations. The Moloch horridus, commonly known as the Thorny Devil, has multiple adaptations, that allow it to survive in the arid deserts of Australia. An interesting adaptation is the method by which this lizard stores, captures, and drinks water.
How is the thorny devil able to drink water?
The first has to do with how they drink water. Most people just go to the tap and pour themselves a glass. Actually, these days most people just grab a bottle of water out of the fridge. Well, the thorny devil simply walks through dew-filled grass and shrubs. You see, this lizard is able to drink water no matter where it hits it on its body.
How does a thorny devil lizard Keep Warm?
They prefer to eat their meals slowly, consuming only one ant at a time. During nights, these lizards dig into the soil and bury themselves to keep themselves warm. In times of extreme heat, they create shallow underground burrows to protect themselves from blazing temperatures.
How long does it take for a thorny devil to grow?
Both the male and female lizards grow at same rates during the first year, after which the females start growing at a significantly greater pace. The growth rate varies from season to season and is slower during the winter. It takes at least 5 to 6 years for young Thorny Devils to reach full maturity.