Question 1

True or false: Their spines are venomous and can inject poison into attackers.

Accepted Answer

False. The spines are hard, sharp, and for defense, but completely non-venomous—no toxin glands exist.

Question 2

True or false: Thorny devils eat only ants, consuming thousands in a single day.

Accepted Answer

True. Their diet is almost exclusively small black ants, and they can eat up to 2,500 ants per meal.

Question 3

True or false: The thorny devil can squirt blood from its eyes to deter predators.

Accepted Answer

True. It shoots blood from sinuses near its eyes up to 5 feet, confusing and repelling attackers like dogs and birds.

Question 4

True or false: Thorny devils drink water by absorbing it through their skin directly.

Accepted Answer

False. They drink via capillary action—channels between spines channel water to their mouth, not through skin absorption.

Question 5

True or false: Thorny devils can inflate their bodies to look larger when threatened.

Accepted Answer

False. They puff up by swallowing air, but it’s a bluff—they don’t inflate like a pufferfish, just raise their body.

Question 6

True or false: This lizard collects dew on its back and siphons it to its mouth using grooves between spines.

Accepted Answer

True. The skin has hygroscopic grooves that wick water from dew or rain directly to the lizard’s mouth.

Question 7

True or false: Female thorny devils lay eggs in underground burrows during winter.

Accepted Answer

False. They lay eggs in spring or summer (October–December) in shallow burrows, not during winter.

Question 8

True or false: Thorny devils are capable of changing color to blend into their surroundings.

Accepted Answer

True. They shift from pale yellow to dark brown depending on temperature and light, aiding camouflage.

Thorny Devil Trivia Questions