Thorny Devil

Characteristics

The Thorny Devil has rows of curved spikes all over the body besides the stomach where it has little stub spikes. The Thorny Devil is a small fearsome looking lizard which is roughly 20cm. It has dappled spots of brown, yellow, orange and white markings. The Thorny Devil is able to change its colours depending on the amount of sunlight and its surroundings. The way the Thorny Devil camouflages itself it has very good defence against its predators. The thorn in between its eyes is a defence mechanism to scare away swooping predators.   

 

Diet

Thorny Devils are quite small so their choice of food is limited to ants especially Ochetellus Flavipes and other species in the Iridomyrmex or Ochetellus genera.   FACT: Thorny Devils usually eat thousands of ants a day.

 

Predators

Thorny devils are targeted by many other types of organisms. These include wild birds (Brown falcon etc.), sand goannas, Australian Bustards, Black breasted buzzards, Racehorse monitor lizard and also humans.

 

Distribution and Abundance

The Thorny Devil is native to parts of Western Australia, Northern Territory and South Australia. 

 

Habitat

The Thorny Devil in the arid scrubland and desert that covers most of central Australia. 

 

Impacts

Thorny Devils are ant specialists and impact on ant populations in the regions they inhabit. This can affect the diets/food for other species of wildlife. Besides this, Thorny Devils don’t have a massive effect on the environment at all.

 

Management

The Thorny Devil population isn’t under any special endangered species list due to its large population size at the moment. They are not hunted or killed for recreational purposes by humans, only for scientific reasons.