Thorny Devil: Problem Solving

Known by many names, Thorny Devil (Moloch horridus) is more than an ordinary lizard. With her spiky body and crown of thorns, She resembles a walking nightmare. Her other names – Moloch, Horny Devil, and Thorny Dragon – emphasize her “hellish” nature. The scientist who named Her, Dr. John Grey certainly thought that. He recalled an ancient demon from John Milton’s Paradise Lost, when he gave Thorny Devil, her scientific name. Dr. Grey also cited the Canaanite God Moloch from the Old Testament, who received sacrificed children.

Looks can be deceiving. The only animal that Thorny Devil terrorizes is Ant. She spends her day wandering in the Australian Outback, searching for their nests. When Thorny Devil finds one, She parks Herself next to its edge. Catching one ant at a time with her sticky tongue, She consumes 45 ants a minute (2,500 in an hour). Thorny Devil is the walking nightmare for ants.

As She roams the Outback, Thorny Devil slowly lifts one foot at a time. Swaying from side to side, this small harmless lizard walks jerkily across the sandy soil. Since Thorny Devil cannot run fast, She relies on camouflage to keep Her safe. To blend into the landscape, Thorny Devil changes her colors from pale yellow to olive to brown.

Herpetologist Eric Pianka described his frustrating experience searching for a Thorny Devil. Spending a day in the Great Victoria Desert, Dr. Pianka followed the lizard’s faint tracks, which went around in a figure eight. Searching for most of the day, he found the Thorny Devil’s eating spot, sleeping spot, and bathroom spot, but no lizard. Then as evening was coming, he nearly stumbled over the Thorny Devil. For the entire day, this lizard had been sitting in the center of the figure eight. In his search for the Thorny Devil, Dr. Pianka had passed the lizard many times.
 
Well-suited for living in the tough dry areas of Australia, Thorny Devil has a unique way of collecting scarce water. When a rare shower occurs, the tiny grooves between her spikes will channel the rain to her mouth. Tilting her body forward, Thorney Devil gulps down the water. In the morning, when the dew condenses on her spikes, these grooves will direct the moisture to her mouth for drinking.

Thorny Devil uses her prickly armor for defense. Her head horns warn predators like Blue-tongued Lizard that She is painful to swallow. On the back of her neck, Thorny Devil has a satchel or false head. When She tucks her head between her forelegs, Blue-tongued Lizard sees only this large spiky “head” and retreats.

Thorny Devil is a member of the Agamidae Family (“dragon lizards”). (This Family includes bearded dragons and Australian frilled lizards.) The Agamidae of the Old World are distantly related to the Iguanas of the New World. Thorny Devil most resembles “Horny Toad” (Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos)) of the Iguana Family. Living in the Southwestern United States, “Horny Toad” faces the same challenges. Although They belong to different families, these two lizards could be twins.

Living in similar habitats, Thorny Devil and “Horny Toad” have parallel lives. Both feast on ants, and obtain water using the same methods. These two lizards demonstrate convergent evolution, which means that evolutionary pathways can be predicted and repeated. How these two lizards solve their problems with similar methods is revolutionary in understanding the challenges of nature for every species on the earth.

Thorny Devil teaches problem solving. To live in her harsh homeland, She employs many strategies for survival. Her spines serve as double duty – scaring predators and collecting water. Amid the desert shrubs, her coloring conceals Thorny Devil. She eats the ants that are plentiful where She lives. An excellent problem solver, Thorny Devil teaches how to be effective and efficient. Let Her be your guide. Just remember that looks can be deceiving.

GILA MONSTER: Discerning Fact from Fiction

A striking sight with her beaded skin of pink and black, Gila Monster blends well into her desert home in Arizona. This sluggish-seeming lizard intently flicks her tongue to detect a tasty mouse. At other times, She adroitly climbs the cactus with her sharp claws to hunt for perching birds. Tasting the air with her forked tongue, Gila Monster finds Desert Rat, and quickly chomps down with her vice-like jaws. Then She swallows her paralyzed victim whole and head first.

Gila Monster with her Brother – Mexican Beaded Lizard – are the only venomous lizards (Helodermatidae) in the world. Because of their venom and forked tongues, Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) and her Brother (Heloderma horridum ) are distant relatives of snakes. These two lizards are also close relatives to monitor lizards (Varanidae), who possess poisonous saliva, and could be ancestors of snakes. These two beaded lizards have an ancient ancestry, extending back to the mid-Cretaceous.

Contrary to popular belief, Gila Monster uses her venom for defense and not to hunt with. When She is angry, Gila Monster will open her mouth very wide and hiss. When She does this, her venom is pumped from her salivary glands into her grooved teeth. Thus when She bites Coyote, and clamps down hard, her venom flows into his wound. Locking her jaws, Gila Monster will hang on until Coyote howls in pain. After making her point, She then lets go. Learning his lesson, Coyote limps off.

Reclusive Gila Monster spends much of her time in her burrow. Digging deep with her heavy claws, She creates a snug home for herself. In the extreme heat of summer and cold of winter, Gila Monster rarely leaves it. The springtime is when She feasts. The rest of the year, Gila Monster lives off the fat contained in her large wide tail. (Her tail acts like a camel’s hump, storing food instead of water.)

Poorly understood, Gila Monster is the subject of many myths. More than that, these stories about Her are presented as facts. For example, Gila Monster does have powerful jaws and a tenacious bite. From this comes the legend, “Once She clamps her jaw on something, Gila Monster will not let go before sundown.” That is patently untrue. Other myths state that Gila Monster can kill with her bad breath, and has no anal opening. None of these silly stories are true, but they often get repeated as facts.

Another legend informs people that Gila Monster is a killer. Yes, her venom is toxic, but a human can easily avoid her bite. Old timers in Arizona say that only an idiot gets bitten. They add that said idiot would have to place Her on his bare leg, then annoy Her until Gila Monster bites. In other words, the said idiot would want to be bitten.

Sluggish in appearance, Gila Monster can suddenly turn and bite, usually when She senses a tasty meal. She warns those who would disturb Her, so that they leave Gila Monster alone. Separating fact from fiction is what Gila Monster teaches. Inspired by her tenacity, you can hang on for the truth. Before repeating something, discover whether it is false first. Some fiction comes disguised as the truth. Do not be an idiot counsels Gila Monster.

TUATARA: Dedication to Your Cause

Although Tuatara resembles a lizard, He is not one. Tuatara is the last surviving species of the ancient order of Rhynchocephalia (“beak-heads”). Only his family of Sphenodontidae (“wedge-toothed”) is left of this group of reptiles. The rest of the Rhynchocephalia went extinct about 60 million years ago. Because of that, Tuatara is often thought of as a “living fossil.” (However, He has actually evolved to live in modern times.) Because of his link to prehistoric reptiles, scientists can study Tuatara to see how lizards and snakes evolved.

Tuatara has distinctive characteristics that makes Him different from lizards. He has fused jaw teeth, and a beak formed by overhanging upper teeth. (This is what gives Tuatara, a “beak-head.”) Like some dinosaurs, Tuatara has a large opening in his skull behind his eye socket. He also has a third eyelid that passes over his open eyes. Tuatara has gastralia (“abdominal ribs”) which lizards and snakes do not. All these qualities indicate that his lineage is older than theirs.

Tuatara’s most notable feature is his ridge of small spines, which runs from his head to his tail. The Maori of New Zealand call this reptile “tuatara,” which means “peaks on the back.” When threatened, Tuatara will raise these spines. To startle his enemies, He elevates his spines and opens his bright red mouth.

Unlike lizards, Tuatara has a tolerance for exceptionally cool temperatures. He has colder blood than any other active reptile. Because of his slow metabolism, Tuatara spends little energy and much of his time in his snug burrow. When resting, He breathes only once per minute, and while walking, only once every seven seconds. Because of these factors, Tuatara can live beyond 100 years, longer than any lizard. However, it takes about twenty years for him to become an adult.

Legally protected in New Zealand since 1895, Tuatara’s numbers still steadily declined. The local kiore (rats) ate Tuatara’s eggs both on the mainland as well as on the coastal islands. Since Tuatara reproduce very slowly (once every five years), this became a great disaster. Tuatara simply could not recover from the losses inflicted by the kiore. Starting in the 1980s, a concerted effort by the government, volunteers, and Maori iwi (tribes) stopped Tuatara’s decline. They removed kiore from coastal islands and re-established Tuatara populations, thereby increasing his “safe homes” to 37 islands. For the first time in hundreds of years, Tuatara now live on Mainland New Zealand at the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington.

Tuatara teaches dedication. The people of New Zealand are determined to keep Tuatara, one of their iconic animals, from going extinct. Spending tremendous amounts of energy, money, and time, people raised captive young, eradicated kiore from various islands, and cared for re-introduced populations. Today Tuatara has been returned to many places where He went extinct. Imagine the help that this distinctive reptile can give you to find your life’s mission. He can inspire to dedicate yourself to a worthy cause. Just do not think of Tuatara as “an ordinary lizard,” since He is neither.
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The picture is of Henry, the world's oldest Tuatara in captivity at Invercargill, New Zealand. Still active at 111 years of age.

Picture of Henry: By KeresH (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons. Title:  "Henry at Invercargill"