Thorny Devils (lizard)

the thorny devil has spines and an impermeable skin to save all water, it also secretes urine that has had all the water taken out by a special function in the liver. the water is mainly absorbed through the skin and when its in its burrow the walls trap the water lost by respiration and the devil can then collect this water again

Thorny devils are unusual lizards, covered all over with sharp thorn-like protuberances. They are not the sort of lizard one is encouraged to pick up - hence the name, devil. They are best avoided.

The thorny devil is not considered to be endangered, so there is no information on how many live in the wild. They can be found in dry habitats in Australia.

The biome of a thorny devil is the desert.

Thorny devils are native to the deserts and inland, arid and semi-arid regions of Australia. They are not restricted to just the hot northern regions, but are also found throughout the southern deserts where the temperatures get very cold at night in winter.

Thorny devils are found where the soil is sandy, such as the spinifex sandplain and sandridge deserts. However, they are also found in the mallee region of southern South Australia and southwestern Western Australia, where mallee scrub is plentiful.

Thorny devils are unusual lizards, covered all over with sharp thorn-like protuberances. They are not the sort of lizard one is encouraged to pick up - hence the name, devil. They are best avoided.

The Australian thorny devil is covered with soft spines. When water lands on the thorny devil's back, whether by rain or just overnight dew, it runs down the reptile's spines and along thousands of tiny grooves, which carry the water to the corners of the thorny devil's mouth. Its colouring ranges from yellow to reddish-brown to black, depending upon which type of soil it is crossing. It is able to use camouflage as protection, because it can change colour to match the soil beneath it. This also helps its survival.

The thorny devil's thorns, or spikes, serve several functions. The thorny devil has thorns/spikes on its back that help it to ward off predators in its environment. It has an extra protuberance on the back of its head which may appear to be like a second head to would-be predators.

These spikes have another function, and that is to help channel water towards the thorny devil's mouth. Water which lands on the Thorny Devil's back, whether it be overnight condensation or rain, runs along tiny grooves on the animal's body to the corner of its mouth. It moves along these grooves by a capillary action set in motion by gulping. The Thorny devil will also rub itself up against vegetation in the early morning to collect condensation on its thorns.

Thorny devils lay between 3 and 10 ten eggs at a time, underground, during Australia's spring-summer season.

The Australian thorny devil is covered with soft spines. When water lands on the thorny devil's back, whether by rain or just overnight dew, it runs down the reptile's spines and along thousands of tiny grooves, which carry the water to the corners of the thorny devil's mouth.

Its colouring ranges from yellow to reddish-brown to black, depending upon which type of soil it is crossing. It is able to use camouflage as protection, because it can change colour to match the soil beneath it. This also helps its survival.

Thorny devils do not raise their babies. The female thorny devil digs a burrow in the sand, and deposits the eggs there. Then she leaves them to hatch on their own, a process which can take many months. When the young thorny devil hatch, they are able to care for themselves, and start eating ants immediately.

what eats a desert lizard called the thorny devil

Thorny devil babies do not stay with their parents at all. Thorny devils lay their eggs in chambers in a burrow which is about 30cm deep. After this, they have no further parental involvement. Once the young thorny devils hatch, they are able to begin eating ants immediately.

One behavioural adaptation for the Thorny devil is the way it can inflate itself to look bigger, thus deterring predators from coming near. Another adaptation is the way they will hide their head between their front legs and present their false 'head', which is a spiky protuberance on the back of their neck.

Because bats can fly and can roost in high out of the way places, bats do not have many predators. Snakes, raccoons,opossums, skunks even tarantulas prey on bats as they roost in trees or in crevices. Some owls and hawks have been known to snatch one in midair for dinner.

The thorny devil eats only ants. It can eat thousands of ants in a single sitting collecting them up with its sticky tongue. It collects moisture via night dew which forms on the skin and is channelled to the mouth through grooves between its spikes, or rubs itself on vegetation in the early morning, thereby collecting the dew in that way.

Thorny devils are small, slow-moving lizards. The upper part of their bodies are covered with sharp spikes which serve two functions: defence, and to channel all moisture towards their mouth. Their colouring fits in with their environment. Those in sandier desert areas will have the mottled colouring of the sand, while others in regions with different soil will have darker colouring to match their surroundings.

The thorny devil's tail also has an extra protuberance to make it look like a second head. This is so that a would-be predator goes for the tail, rather than the lizard's real head.

An image of the thorny devil can be seen at the related link below.

The Thorny devil, an unusual thorny lizard of desert regions in Australia, is properly classed as an insectivore. It feeds almost exclusively on ants.
The Thorny devil, an unusual thorny lizard of desert regions in Australia, is properly classed as an insectivore. It feeds exclusively on ants.

The thorny devil isn't a mammel

No. They are similar in appearance, but only distantly related.