One of the type of lizard of the most bizarre, unique & cool is the thorny devil or mountain devil lizard. Latin name Moloch horridus. If viewed from its name, agan Thorny Devil would think if this kind of a big monster. In fact it's just a thorny devil lizard sized in length only approximately 8-15 cm.
Thorny devil can be found in the arid regions in Australia, usually in the dusty soil but they are rarely found in rocky soil.
Thorny devil can fire the blood-colored fluid removed from his eyes. the liquid is actually a toxin derived from the ant
Thorny devils have a barbed protrusion on the back of his neck that looks like a head fake. When threatened, these lizards are actually tucking the head between the legs front and make a fake head is in the actual head position. This will create difficulty swallowing lizard predators, even snakes though. When threatened, the thorny devil will also suck air and make his body bloated. This is an another anti-predator defense mechanism.
The thorny devil main food is ants. Within a minute, this lizard will eat 25 to 45 ants. But sometimes, small objects like small pebbles, pieces of wood, small flowers and small insect eggs are also eaten. But perhaps not intentionally. Once eating, thorny devil can spend around 1000 to 2500 ants. Thorny devils have hygroscopic system of grooves in their skin that lead to the corner of their mouths. Thorny Devil take the water by capillary action through these pathways. Thorny devils using sip mechanism to move the water along the grooves and into their mouths. Thorny devils are really able to drink water from the dew that fell on their backs and can get bergram grams of water in rain storm
they can drink a drop of dew that fell on his back. they do not bother to suck with his snout.
Thorny Devil walked slowly with the movement of stagnant and they often stay in place and then walking again, often with legs lifted off the ground. These lizards can change color quickly, when active usually pale yellow and red, but when there is danger or when cool greenish color. Though clever and camouflaged barbed body, does not mean that these lizards are immune to predators. Australian aborigines and bustards, both visual predators, have been observed to prey on thorny devil. Varanus gouldi, Varanus tristis and the Raptors are a few predators of these lizards.
Thorny devil is heliothermic animals, relying on solar energy to raise his body temperature above ambient temperature. Thorny devil's body temperature changes with air temperature. Average body temperature of thorny devils is 33.3 degrees Celsius.
2 comments:
Yer blood squirtin' lizard is not a 'Thorny Devil'. Its a North American Horned lizard (lovingly referred to as a 'Horny Toad'). Do you need a fact checker?
It's a thorny dragon. It's Australian.
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