Thorny Devils (lizard)

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.

A lizard depends on it's muscles in its throat to contract and expand the lungs to keep oxygen flowing through it's body because it doesn't have a diaphragm. When it's on its back, the weight of its arms and legs put abnormal pressure on those muscles and they can't do their job correctly.

yes they can be in the same tank

There is no specific name for a male thorny devil.

Although Thorny devils only reach maturity when they are five or six years old, they are able to start mating at around three years of age.

Yes it ca it can flip it on its back then shred the underside of it

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.

No Thorny devils cannot climb cactuses. Incidentally, cacti are not even native to Australia, which is the natural environment of the thorny devil.

The Thorny devil, an unusual spiky lizard of Australia, is currently neither endangered not officially threatened, but its numbers are decreasing. These desert-dwelling reptiles are protected under Australia's Wildlife Conservation Act.

As with many Australian native animals, its greatest threat comes from habitat destruction and the incursions of humans into its environment. The introduction of feral cats also poses a threat as it is only a relatively small lizard, growing up to 20cm in length. In its native habitat, it has few natural predators; among them are goannas and birds of prey.

because the thorny devil needs water to survive the harsh environment