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Captured water is transported passively via capillary action in semi-tubular channels located beneath the partially overlapping scales, in an asymmetric and interconnected system that extends over the lizard's entire body surface. The channels terminate at the mouth where active ingestion (drinking)
390:
The thorny devil grows up to 21 cm (8.3 in) in total length (including tail), and can live for 15 to 20 years. The females are larger than the males. Most specimens are coloured in camouflaging shades of desert browns and tans. These colours change from pale colours during warm weather to
649:
via the channels between its spines. During rainfalls, capillary action allows the thorny devil to absorb water from all over its body. Capillary action also allows the thorny devil to absorb water from damp sand. Absorption through sand is the thorny devil's main source of water intake.
570:
The thorny devil is covered in hard, rather sharp spines that dissuade attacks by predators by making it difficult to swallow. It also has a false head on its back. When it feels threatened by other animals, it lowers its head between its front legs, and then presents its false head.
423:
transports the water to the mouth through channels in its skin. The thorny devil is also equipped to harvest moisture in the dry desert following nighttime's extremely low temperatures and the subsequent condensation of
644:
The thorny devil collects moisture in the dry desert by the condensation of dew. This dew forms on its skin in the early morning as it begins to warm outside. Then the dew is channeled to its mouth by gravity and
439:
epidermis is hydrophilic with hexagonal microstructures on the scale surfaces. When trace amounts of water contact its skin (pre-wetting) these microstructures fill with water, the skin surface becoming
416:
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. The "false head" is made of soft tissue.
1132:
Clemente, Christofer; Thompson, Graham G.; Withers, Philip C; Lloyd, David (2004). "Kinematics, maximal metabolic rate, sprint and endurance for a slow-moving lizard, the thorny devil (
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444:. This allows moisture to spread across wider surface areas, yielding faster uptake, as water is collected via capillary action in small channels located between its scales.
413:
and deception may also be used to evade predation. This lizard's unusual gait involves freezing and rocking as it moves about slowly in search of food, water, and mates.
382:, usually depicted as a hideous beast. The thorny devil also has other nicknames people have given it such as the "devil lizard", "horned lizard", and the "thorny toad".
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The lizard rubs its body against the moist substrate and shovels damp sand onto its back, the outer epidermis layer equipped to draw in cutaneous moisture.
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The names given to this lizard reflect its appearance: the two large horned scales on its head complete the illusion of a dragon or devil. The name
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between
September and December. She puts these in a nesting burrow about 30 cm underground. The eggs hatch after about three to four months.
1538:
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The thorny devil's scales are ridged, enabling the animal to collect water by simply touching it with any part of the body, usually the limbs;
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An intimidating array of spikes covers the entire upper side of the body of the thorny devil. These thorny scales also help to defend it from
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428:. The process involves moisture contact, their hydrophilic skin surface structures with capillaries, and an internal transport mechanism.
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352:, many taxonomists suspect another species might remain to be found in the wild. The thorny devil is only distantly related to the
761:
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1220:(1841). "Description of some new Species and four Genera of Reptiles from Western Australia discovered by John Gould, Esq."
879:
Comanns, Philipp; Esser, Falk J.; Kappel, Peter H.; Baumgartner, Werner; Shaw, Jeremy; Withers, Philip C. (September 2017).
548:
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darker colours during cold weather. The thorny devil is covered entirely with conical spines that are mostly uncalcified.
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332:. It grows up to 21 cm (8.3 in) in total length (including tail), with females generally larger than males.
478:
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670:
The popular appeal of the thorny devil is the basis of an anecdotal petty scam. American servicemen stationed in
684:), but those were called "thorny devil eggs" as a part of the scam. Thorny devils have been kept in captivity.
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881:"Adsorption and movement of water by skin of the Australian thorny devil (Agamidae: Moloch horridus)"
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Catalogue of the
Lizards in the British Museum (Natural History). 2nd Ed. Vol. I. ... Agamidæ.
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is observable by jaw movements when moisture is plentiful, e.g. water puddles.
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The same hydrophilic moisture-harvesting physiology is characteristic in the
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Browne-Cooper, Robert; Bush, Brian; Maryan, Brad; Robinson, David (2007).
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The habitat of the thorny devil coincides more with the regions of sandy
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1206:. Clayton, Victoria, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. xxx + 1,033 pp.
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genera. Thorny devils often eat thousands of ants in one day.
547:, sandplain and sandridge desert in the deep interior and the
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348:
in 1841. While it is the only species contained in the genus
701:
Doughty, P.; Melville, J.; Craig, M.; Sanderson, C. (2017).
1241:
A Complete Guide to
Reptiles of Australia, Fourth Edition
784:
Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). "
367:. This similarity is usually thought of as an example of
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758:
Reptiles and Frogs in the Bush: Southwestern
Australia
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The female thorny devil lays a clutch of three to ten
1204:
Reptiles and
Amphibians of Australia, Seventh Edition
792:. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 182.
587:
The thorny devil mainly subsists on ants, especially
575:
that consume the thorny devil include wild birds and
842:
Bell, Christopher; Mead, Jim; Swift, Sandra (2009).
1294:
1070:"How thorny devils tap damp sand to slake thirst"
726:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T83492011A83492039.en
1027:"Moloch horridus (Thorny Devil, Mountain Devil)"
1159:"Prey capture kinematics of ant-eating lizards"
751:
749:
747:
745:
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1109:Pianka ER (1997). "Australia's thorny devil".
984:(Lacertilia: Agamidae) in Western Australia".
810:Thorny Devil Lizard – Prickly Desert Ant-Eater
8:
535:The thorny devil usually lives in the arid
1282:
1271:Australia's Thorny Devil by Eric R. Pianka
1243:. Sydney: New Holland Publishers. 522 pp.
1222:The Annals and Magazine of Natural History
865:10.18195/issn.0312-3162.25(2).2009.201-237
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531:Thorny devil underside, Western Australia
852:Records of the Western Australian Museum
558:soils than with a particular climate in
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7:
980:, Pianka HD (1970). "The ecology of
1529:IUCN Red List least concern species
1239:Wilson, Steve; Swan, Gerry (2013).
1074:The Journal of Experimental Biology
712:IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
832:. Taylor and Francis. pp. 411–412.
25:
790:The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles
84:
1163:Journal of Experimental Biology
942:Journal of Experimental Biology
848:(Reptilia: Squamata: Agamidae)"
762:University of Western Australia
1554:Taxa named by John Edward Gray
1266:, thorny dragon body structure
476:), sunwatcher toadhead agama (
470:), Arabian toad-headed agama (
1:
1539:Reptiles of Western Australia
1138:Australian Journal of Zoology
936:Comanns, Philipp (May 2018).
764:Press. pp. 46, 65, 158.
1232:, new genus pp. 88–89;
674:decades ago (such as during
460:), roundtail horned lizard (
378:was used for a deity of the
1549:Agamid lizards of Australia
1236:, new species, p. 89).
340:The thorny devil was first
1575:
1544:Reptiles described in 1841
885:Royal Society Open Science
479:Phrynocephalus helioscopus
593:and other species in the
522:The Royal Natural History
466:), desert horned lizard (
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81:Scientific classification
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34:
1068:Knight, Kathryn (2016).
1048:Australia's Thorny Devil
719:: e.T83492011A83492039.
508:Distribution and habitat
488:, yellow-spotted agama (
491:Trapelus flavimaculatus
485:Phrynocephalus horvathi
473:Phrynocephalus arabicus
844:"Cranial osteology of
532:
524:
468:Phrynosoma platyrhinos
402:
1278:, www.kidcyber.com.au
614:Iridomyrmex rufoniger
530:
515:
397:
258:Acanthosaura gibbosus
1157:Meyers, Jay (2005).
1032:Animal Diversity Web
543:that covers most of
369:convergent evolution
1080:(21): 3309.1–3309.
905:10.1098/rsos.170591
897:2017RSOS....470591C
858:(Part 2): 201–237.
672:Southwest Australia
590:Ochetellus flavipes
463:Phrynosoma modestum
458:Phrynosoma cornutum
454:Texas horned lizard
51:Conservation status
1087:10.1242/jeb.151407
955:10.1242/jeb.153130
533:
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516:Illustration from
501:Trapelus mutabilis
498:and desert agama (
437:keratinous fibered
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398:A thorny devil in
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1478:Open Tree of Life
1288:Taxon identifiers
1176:10.1242/jeb.01345
1169:(Pt 1): 115–127.
798:978-1-4214-0135-5
771:978-1-920694-74-6
666:Popular reference
560:Western Australia
545:central Australia
496:Trapelus pallidus
400:Western Australia
380:ancient Near East
344:by the biologist
311:. The species is
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16:(Redirected from
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730:. Retrieved
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654:Reproduction
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319:. It is the
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268:thorny devil
267:
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257:
256:
242:
216:
214:
198:
197:
178:
177:
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1400:iNaturalist
1320:Wikispecies
1262:Digimorph:
1234:M. horridus
732:19 November
638:Polyrhachis
608:Iridomyrmex
549:mallee belt
386:Description
164:Subfamily:
1523:Categories
1228:: 86–91. (
1054:31 October
688:References
626:Ochetellus
620:Monomorium
596:Camponotus
411:Camouflage
365:Phrynosoma
144:Suborder:
1200:Cogger HG
978:Pianka ER
824:(1885). "
602:Ectatomma
573:Predators
537:scrubland
407:predators
342:described
317:Australia
193:Species:
104:Kingdom:
98:Eukaryota
1534:Agamidae
1496:horridus
1444:83492011
1418:10356503
1305:Wikidata
1202:(2014).
1193:13293724
1189:ProQuest
1185:15601883
1111:Reptiles
1096:89521720
964:29789349
923:28989762
632:Pheidole
518:Lydekker
356:similar
336:Taxonomy
309:Agamidae
278:commonly
250:Synonyms
158:Agamidae
154:Family:
138:Squamata
128:Reptilia
118:Chordata
114:Phylum:
108:Animalia
94:Domain:
71:IUCN 3.1
1431:1055593
1392:2466435
1311:Q320665
1218:Gray JE
1006:1441978
914:5627102
893:Bibcode
577:goannas
323:in the
313:endemic
304:in the
298:species
296:, is a
280:as the
174:Genus:
148:Iguania
134:Order:
124:Class:
69: (
1559:Moloch
1506:211839
1503:uBio:
1483:116307
1470:101522
1361:ARKive
1340:Moloch
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1230:Moloch
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986:Copeia
962:
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768:
541:desert
376:Moloch
350:Moloch
329:Moloch
306:family
302:lizard
294:moloch
292:, and
226:, 1841
187:, 1841
179:Moloch
1457:52198
1413:IRMNG
1405:31519
1379:43WS4
1092:S2CID
1002:JSTOR
828:" in
788:" in
635:, or
325:genus
1452:NCBI
1439:IUCN
1426:ITIS
1387:GBIF
1245:ISBN
1208:ISBN
1181:PMID
1136:)".
1056:2007
990:1970
960:PMID
919:PMID
794:ISBN
766:ISBN
734:2021
717:2017
660:eggs
583:Diet
556:loam
539:and
435:The
266:The
224:Gray
185:Gray
1374:CoL
1348:AFD
1335:ADW
1224:,
1171:doi
1167:208
1146:doi
1082:doi
1078:219
994:doi
950:doi
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909:PMC
901:doi
860:doi
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617:),
520:'s
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494:),
482:),
426:dew
315:to
300:of
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