The keratinous fibered epidermis is hydrophilic with hexagonal microstructures on the scale surfaces. Their scientific name, Moloch horridus, is derived from the Latin word meaning rough/bristly (horridus).

The species holds cultural importance for many Aboriginal groups – for example, the Anmatyerre/Alyawarr people of the Northern Territory have a dreaming story surrounding the species. These lizards get their name from the conical spikes across their whole body, and they can camouflage themselves in their environments. Essentially, capillary action allows the lizard to suck water from all over its body – an amazing adaptation!Females lay 3 to 10 eggs in burrows much deeper than their normal ones and fill in the holes to cover up any signs of the burrow. The thorny devil uses camouflage as self defence, as its outer body colours blends in with the surrounding habitat. gonna look this up, was something to do with restrictions placed on the lizard due to the surroundings i think that forced them to eat readily available prey, but may have been choice, cannot remember. The delicate, spicy flavors of Horny Devil make it a great pairing with hearty seafood dishes such as roasted halibut or steamed mussels and dishes featuring fresh herbs or citrus zest. the thorny devil i knew someone who did everything possible years back when i lived in northhamtonshire to keep theirs alive.

The thorny devil also features a spiny "false head" on the back of its neck, and the lizard presents this to potential predators by dipping its real head. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Kinematics, maximal metabolic rate, sprint and endurance for a slow-moving lizard, the thorny devil ( Moloch horridus)". The Horny Devil was featured on David Attenbrughs 'Life in Cold Blood', and was shown to be eating LOADS of ants, so yea, the diet thing would most likely be an absolute nightmare! They are almost completely inactive during the hottest summer months (January and February) and the coldest winter months (June and July), when they take refuge in underground burrows.In the cool morning, thorny lizards are a drab olive-brown and get lighter as the temperature climbs. If you're going to Hell anyway, at least do it in style with this funny design straight from the eternal fire. While this means there is no immediate concern for the time being, at least it is noted with a status. The dew takes form on the skin of the thorny devil and its channeled in hygroscopic grooves between skin spines to its mouth.