Moloch horridus or horned devil, little lizard that is scary!

Reptiles are special animals, not always very appreciated. They are the cause of panic and fear in many people and are called herpetophobia. When this irrational fear concerns only snakes, it is called ophiophobia. They are often unknown animals that inhabit the four corners of our planet.

To discover the captivating way of life of wild reptiles, we must first learn to recognize them. This is not an easy task, because the class Reptilia includes four major orders, namely: Testudines (carapaced-shelled reptiles), Crocodilians (aquatic reptiles), Squamates (scaled reptiles), Rhynchocephalians (there is currently only one species, sphenodons).

Turtles, alligators, snakes, and lizards, are among the wild reptiles that we can – for some of them at least – cross on our paths and surprise in our gardens. To hope to discover others, it may be necessary to travel to other continents.

Animals victims of illegal trade

The world's animals have been at the heart of the process of uninterrupted decline since 1970. Over the last forty years, we have witnessed the disappearance of 60% of these populations, whether they are fish, mammals, or birds... The causes of this chilling depopulation? Excessive deforestation and unreasonable exploitation of the planet, pollution, the decline of biodiversity, climate change, ultra-urbanization... Reptiles have not escaped this tragic slaughter, being, in addition, victims of poaching and even a totally senseless illegal trade, constantly increasing.


Due to the massive decline in the number of wild reptiles, red lists have been drawn up at the national level for each of our regions, but also at the global level. They allow experts to assess the degree of threat that hangs over the species still present today. Let us discover them in order to consider them with all the benevolence they deserve.


Moloch horridus or horned devil looks like a creature from prehistoric times. This small lizard of the Australian desert owes its nickname to a frightening physique: its body, bristling with large peaks, recalls the horns of the demon. Portrait of a squamate whose diabolical appearance conceals an angelic temperament.

Horned devil: who is this animal?

Moloch horridus is a small Australian reptile belonging to the order Squamates and the family Agamids. Unique representative of the moloch genus, the animal is also called the horned devil or the thorny devil. The lizard owes its scientific name to Moloch, an Ammonite deity (a people of the ancient Near East), represented by a bull-headed man, to whom children were sacrificed by fire. As for the Latin term horridus, it means rough, rough, brutal. Of medium size, the horned devil measures about 20 cm. Females weigh up to 90 g while males are lighter, not exceeding 50 g.

In what environment does Moloch horridus live?

The horned devil is an endemic species of Australia that mainly occupies the desert regions of the country. This terrestrial and diurnal lizard is particularly fond of sandy or loamy soils, punctuated by scrub, whether on the plain or on the ridge. The shark is found in the famous Great Sand Desert that extends northwest of the Australian continent. Conversely, the reptile does not appreciate hard, terrain and other rocky areas that it avoids frequenting.

How to recognize the horned devil?

Moloch horridus has a stocky body covered with spikes that are actually scaly growths, the highest of which are erected on the back and head. Two large spikes are located on each side of the snout, as well as a spiny ball at the nape of the neck. The skin of the lizard has a beige background color to which are added secondary shades such as brown, ochre, red, brick, or gray. The animal is capable of homochromy, a faculty consisting in adapting its coloration to the surrounding environment, whether sand, earth, a branch, a leaf, a bark, etc.... This perfect camouflage has interests of attack and defense: it helps it to go unnoticed by its predators and to surprise its prey.

Horned devil: what are its peaks for?

Despite its frightening appearance, Moloch horridus is a completely harmless creature. If he feels threatened, the horned devil does not fight back, but adopts what is called a passive defense. For the purpose of intimidation, he inflates his abdomen to show off his prods and lowers his head, to show his impressive spiny ball. Then, he slowly advances with jerky steps toward his attacker. If the assailant does not flee, the horned devil comes to a total standstill, as if statufied. Woe betides the one who ventures to bite the little Australian lizard whose sharp scales are capable of lacerating a mouth or stomach. In summary, Moloch horridus is a reptile with a placid temperament that can only rely on its cryptic coloration and threatening posture to protect itself.

What does Moloch horridus feed on?

The insectivorous species consumes almost exclusively ants and shows a clear preference for formicids of the genus Iridomyrmex, which move in long, tight columns. To eat them, the horned devil settles in front of the line of insects and swallows them at the tail-Leu-Leu, from 20 to 30 per minute, or between 600 and 2000 ants per meal. To quench its thirst, the reptile has a technique of its own. Its organism, adapted to desert life, allows it to compensate for the lack of water resources. Better, it allows him to drink... In the sand! A curiosity that we detail below.

How does the horned devil hydrate?

A team of German zoologists was able to describe how the reptile managed to hydrate itself in the Australian desert where water is scarce. According to the scientific study, the horned devil burrows into the sand and absorbs moisture (wave, dew, condensation...) by its skin and peaks. Between its scales is a network of microscopic channels that act like straws to suck up the tiniest molecule of water available and relay it by capillary action to its mouth. In times of drought, the squamate can also draw on the reserves of the fat ball, located at the back of its head, as camelids do with their hump.

How does the horned devil reproduce?

In Moloch, reproduction occurs between spring and early summer. The mating mode is poorly informed, but observations suggest that the male approaches a potential mate, wags his head, and straddles her if she seems receptive. Otherwise, the female expresses her disagreement by rolling on the ground to get rid of the intruder. In the 2 to 3 months following copulation, the lizard lays an average of 8 eggs at the bottom of a burrow dug in the sand. After an incubation of 3 to 4 months, small horned devils hatch that measure about 6 cm and weigh a little less than 2 g. The newborns consume the shell of their eggs before leaving the gallery that the mother had previously plugged and smoothed to limit the risk of predation.

Is Moloch horridus an endangered species?

As seen above, the thorny body of the horned devil is indigestible and as such, the reptile in the adult stage has few predators. On the other hand, immatures with still flexible spines are preyed upon by several animal species such as the Australian bustard (large wader exceeding 2 m wingspan), the black-breasted hawk, and some varanids such as the Gould's monitor lizard and the speckled monitor lizard. Moloch horridus is not assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is not listed in the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). It should be noted, however, that Australia prohibits the export of this animal. The longevity of the horned devil is poorly documented in the wild, but it would reach 20 years in captivity.