Thorny Devil

We spent a lovely day driving to and from Canberra (170kms each way) and visiting the Australian National Botanic Gardens. We were inspired to do so after seeing 59’s recent blip about her visit.

One of the sections we particularly enjoyed was the 'Red Centre Garden’, a terrific attempt to create a sense of being in the outback in the centre of Australia. Over a number of years we have spent several weeks travelling and camping in the outback and we love it. The red dirt gets into one’s blood.

The display includes a greatly enlarged model of the thorny devil (Moloch horridus) which inhabits the centre of Australia. These little chaps are diurnal (day-active) reptiles reaching up to 20cm in length. They have spiny orange yellow and black skin with a pretend second head on the back of their necks which is thought to warn off predators.. They lift their tail and walk along with a slow jerky motion like a wind-up toy.

Their bodies have adapted to survive in water-parched arid Australia. During the night dew condenses on their bodies, and in the morning they brush up against dew-covered grass. Then the hygroscopic (moisture-attracting) grooves between their scales channel this water to their mouths! The same process occurs when it rains.

They're also thought to bury themselves in sand, in extreme circumstances, to draw moisture from it. Such clever chaps.