Thorny Devil
Moloch horridus
EnvironmentThorny Devils live in the sandy arid desert areas of Australia. In the arid desert of central Australia, the temperature ranges from 37-39oc in summer and between 16-24oc in winter. Rainfall is unpredictable but will usually be around 250mm or less per year. The distribution of thorny devils seems to be determined by soil type more than anything else, as they prefer to live in sandy areas. The image below shows the distribution range of thorny devils.
Image taken from: http://www.arod.com.au/arod/reptilia/Squamata/Agamidae/Moloch/horridus
Challenges the Animal FacesAs thorny devils live in the desert, they face many challenges in their everyday lives. Because deserts are such a dry place, there is a constant lack of water. They also face extreme temperatures where they face high heat in the summer and exceptionally cold temperatures in the winter that they need to adjust to. They also face the problem of escaping predators, as there are little places to hide in the desert. It is also hard for them to find food and nutrients as they live in a limited resource environment
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Rhythmic PatternsThorny devils are diurnal as they are active during the day instead of the night. However these organisms are almost completely inactive during the hottest summer months (January and February) and the coldest winter months (June and July) as the temperature’s during these times may be too extreme for the animal to survive in. They are active throughout autumn (March, April, and May) as well as late in the winter through to early summer (August – December) as this is time when they mate and lay eggs. These are regular patterns that they go through each year.
Interesting Facts- The thorny devil can eat up to 3,000 ants in a day.
- When thorny devils get too hot, they build a burrow underground and stay there to keep cool. Image taken from: http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2014/palmer_tayl/habitat.htm
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Image taken from: https://reptiles-snakes.knoji.com/facts-about-the-australian-thorny-devil/