About Thorny Devil, Desert Monsters with Sharp Scales

About Thorny Devil, Desert Monsters with Sharp Scales

About Thorny devils, Desert Monsters with Sharp Scales. The Thorny devil or in scientific terms it is called Moloch horridus is the name for a kind of reptile whose body is covered with thorns.

On the top of its head there are a pair of large protrusions that resemble horns so that the lizard also looks like the horned devil character in human paintings.

Despite its creepy appearance, the Thorny devil itself is actually a tame animal and is harmless to humans.

About Thorny Devil, Desert Monsters with Sharp Scales

Apart from seeing that its entire body is covered in thick thorns and scales, a Thorny devil can be identified by looking at its broad body, slender legs, long, stiff-looking tail, and a belly that does not touch the ground. On the back of the head there is a round protrusion that serves as a false head.

When a predatory beast would prey on a Thorny devil, the Thorny devil would hide its real head between its two front legs so that the enemy would attack the bulge thinking it was the head of a Thorny devil.

About Thorny Devil, Desert Monsters with Sharp Scales

This defense method also made it harder for the Thorny devil to swallow. Thorny devils can only be found in Australia, to be precise in the local desert area. Thorny devils have a diurnal lifestyle, which means they are active during the day.

The color of the Thorny devil's scales can change depending on the temperature of the surrounding environment. In the morning and evening, the Thorny devil's body with thorns appears brownish in color. 

However, during the day when the ambient temperature is hot, the body changes color to become lighter and appears yellowish in color.

Having a terrifying-looking appearance does not necessarily mean that a Thorny devil has no enemies. In the wild, these sharp scaly animals are vulnerable to predation by large predatory birds and monitor lizards.

However, the Thorny devil himself had many ways to protect himself. As the most basic form of self-defense, the Thorny devil has a body covered in thorns.

Thorny Devil Videos

The color of the scale can also change according to the ambient temperature, making it more difficult to see from a distance.

Even though the Thorny devil has already been caught by its enemy, this animal can still protect itself by lifting its tail and then walking back and forth so that the enemy becomes confused and feels hesitant to attack the Thorny devil.

Read More: About Ibex, A Mountain Goat Adept At Climbing Walls

Thorny devil can also disguise the position of his head by hiding his head between his two front legs. When held or bitten, the Thorny devil would expand on its own to make it bigger and make it more difficult to catch itself.

The Eater

Contrary to its terrifying appearance, the Thorny devil only lived by eating ants. This lizard catches ants with its sticky tongue.

The number of ants that the Thorny devil could consume every day could reach more than 800. As for drinking, the Thorny devil only needs to touch its feet to a pool of water. Because the scale is filled with capillary channels, water will automatically rise to its mouth.

About Thorny Devil, Desert Monsters with Sharp Scales

When there is no standing water, the Thorny devil can continue to drink by spending the night at night and drinking the dew that sticks to the thorns.

The breeding season for the Thorny devil occurs in late winter to early summer local time. When the time for mating comes, the males will travel farther than usual to find females.

Once he has found the female, the male will seduce the female by shaking his head and then climbing over the female's back.

If the female refuses the male's request to mate, she will roll over so that the male will fall off her back. However, if she is willing to mate with a male, she will allow the male to ride her.

After mating, the female will then make a dug hole that is up to 22 centimeters deep. She will then extract the eggs into the hole. The number of eggs released by females ranges from 4 to 10.

After finishing removing the eggs, she will then close the hole again using sand so that the eggs are safe from predators. Female Thorny devils can experience up to 42 percent weight loss after releasing their eggs.

About Thorny Devil, Desert Monsters with Sharp Scales

The Thorny devil eggs take between 3 to 4 months to hatch. A newly Thorny devil baby with thorns will eat its own egg shell as its first food.

After that, she will come out of her burrow and have to live independently. The Thorny devil cubs will reach adult size at 2 years of age and can live up to 20 years. The Thorny devil is known to grow up to 20 cm, with females being slightly larger than males. By: Ochie

#animals #Reptile