Moloch horridus
Silhouette: Michael Scroggie · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The thorny devil (Moloch horridus), also known commonly as the mountain devil, thorny lizard, thorny dragon, and moloch, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Australia. It is the sole species in the genus Moloch. It grows up to 21 cm (8.3 in) in total length (including tail), with females generally larger than males.
The thorny devil was first described by the biologist John Edward Gray in 1841. While it is the only species contained in the genus Moloch, many taxonomists suspect another species might remain to be found in the wild. The thorny devil is only distantly related to the morphologically similar North American horned lizards of the genus Phrynosoma. This similarity is usually thought of as an example of convergent evolution.
The names given to this lizard reflect its appearance: the two large horned scales on its head complete the illusion of a dragon or devil. The name Moloch was used for a deity of the ancient Near East, usually depicted as a hideous beast. The thorny devil also has other nicknames people have given it such as the "devil lizard", "horned lizard", and the "thorny toad".
The thorny devil grows... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alice Springs Desert Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Cleland Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Thorny Devil sighting in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 5th most-seen of the 25 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and April
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Thorny Devil in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June–July and November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Thorny Devil sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
Only Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, in our data
Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Thorny Devil sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Agamidae
The closest relatives of the Thorny Devil that you can see in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (family Agamidae, Dragons) are Long-nosed Water Dragon (about 70%), Central Netted Ground-dragon (about 60%) and Central Australian Earless Dragon (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Thorny Devil is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (26 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
