#thorny devil lizard | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

uncharismatic-fauna · 1 year

Text

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

Many desert animals have special adaptations that allow them to either find water in extremely dry areas or survive long periods without it. One of the more unusual adaptations is that of the thorny devil lizard. Its skin is covered in microscopic grooves which are able to draw water up out of the ground and transport it directly to the lizard's mouth via capillary action-- the same process that pulls water up into a paper towel.

(Image: A thorny devil (Moloch horridus) pausing for a drink by Christopher Watson)

If you like what I do, consider leaving a tip or buying me a ko-fi!

#thorny devil lizard #Squamata #Agamidae #dragon lizards #squamates #lizards #reptiles #uncharismatic facts

672 notes · View notes

herpsandbirds · 2 months

Text

Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus), family Agamidae, South Australia

photographs by C. Margetts Photography

#moloch #thorny devil #agamidae #lizard #reptile #herpetology #australia #animals #nature

973 notes · View notes

vhs-rat · 4 months

Text

ACID REIGN

SALVATOR . SYBIL . JAKE . MARCUS

#scalie #crocodile #cobra #snake #frilled lizard #thorny devil #metal #punk furs #anthro #acid reign #salvator #Sybil #Jake #Marcus

372 notes · View notes

antiqueanimals · 5 months

Text

Thorny devil (Moloch horridus)

Reptiles and Amphibians of the World. Written by Hans Hvass. Illustrated by Wilhelm Eigener. Originally published in 1958.

Internet Archive

#reptiles #lizards #thorny devils #Wilhelm Eigener

236 notes · View notes

vintagewildlife · 4 months

Text

Thorny devil By: Unknown photographer From: Disney’s Wonderful World of Knowledge 1971

#thorny devil #lizard #reptile #1971 #1970s #Disney’s Wonderful World of Knowledge

81 notes · View notes

artapir · 2 years

Photo

Thorny devil monkeys.

#ai art #midjourney #thorny devil #lizard #monkey #primate #desert

215 notes · View notes

homosexual-having-tea · 1 year

Text

For all your lizard needs

#this is for all my fellow lizard girls <3 #except for terfs. they have lost their lizard rights permanently.#in order of apperance: blue crested lizard. thorny devil. frilled lizard. basalisk lizard. gila monster. blue tongued skink

98 notes · View notes

voicelessfox-sagezuo · 7 months

Text

Protective GF

#firealpaca #illustration #art #lizard #anthro #thorny devil #skink #she asked for no pickles

10 notes · View notes

ningauinerd · 8 months

Text

Everyone knows and loves thorny devils (Moloch horridus), spines and all, but I think most people are unaware of their peculiar and highly elusive sister species, the chameleon dragon (Chelosania brunnea).

(Image credit: The Reptile Database)

Named after their laterally compressed body, extendable dewlap and funnel-like eyes that give them some resemblance to the true chameleons of Afro-Eurasia, the chameleon dragon occurs widely in the monsoonal savanna woodlands of northern Australia in the Kimberley and Top End (as well as a tiny part of north-western Queensland). They are quite rarely observed and little is currently known about their ecology or behaviour, but this is likely due to their highly arboreal nature and they may actually be more common than records suggest.

At first glace, the chameleon dragon doesn't share a great deal of resemblance to the thorny devil, but some similarities begin to appear on closer examination. One of the most obvious links is their diet - thorny devils are well known for being specialised for feeding on small black ants, and the chameleon dragon, despite its drastically different appearance and lifestyle, appears to have a similar diet. While a lot less is known about the diet of chameleon dragons, they may also be ant specialists and have been recorded feeding on green ants (Oecophylla smaragdina), a species that is particularly common in the treetops they inhabit.

(Image credit: Colin Trainor & Gunter Maywald)

As a matter of fact, genetics indicate that the thorny devil and chameleon dragon are not only each other's closest living relatives, but also that they form their own distinct clade amongst Australian dryland agamids. The majority of Australian dragons are part of a single evolutionary radiation that diversified as the continent began to dry out in the mid-Miocene, with most exceptions being basal wet forest genera like forest dragons (Lophosaurus) and the Australian water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii). However, the thorny devil and chameleon dragon appear to be the only living members of a more ancient, basal agamid lineage that colonised dry environments independently of the recent large radiation.

As a testament to how much we still have to learn about this fascinating species, it was only in 2020 that a study (linked in the image credit below) found significant sexual dimorphism in regards to colour in chameleon dragons, with males being grey while females are yellow. This same study also published the first evidence of the species using tree hollows and the nests of arboreal termites as shelter sites. Due to the lack of data they are currently considered Data Deficient by the IUCN, but they may be threatened by altered fire regimes and feral cats.

Males above, females below (Image credit: Laive & Jolly 2020)

Gonna be posting infodumps like this on Australian/Oceanian species I feel compelled to share fun facts on for whatever reason

#australian wildlife #wildlife #reptiles #lizards #agamidae #thorny devil #chameleon dragon #animal facts #herpetology #natural history #infodumps #my stuff

18 notes · View notes

iris-polaris · 1 year

Text

🟪 ANIMAL OF THE DAY: thorny devil. Moloch horridus. an Australian desert lizard that is very pokey. it also has a false head on its Shoulders, much like your average Content Creator, to protect it from Predators

#lizard #lizards #thorny devil #moloch horridus #reptile #reptiles #animal #animals #wildlife #nature #wild #aesthetic #bear of the ice

24 notes · View notes

monstertsunami · 2 years

Text