Thorny dragon
（重定向自Moloch horridus）
![](/Images/godic/202501/27/Thornydevil4848.jpg")
![](/Images/godic/202501/27/Thorny_Devil_Area4848.png")
![A thorny dragon in Western Australia](/Images/godic/202501/27/Thorny_devil_pale4848.jpg")
![Illustration from Lydekker's The Royal Natural History](/Images/godic/202501/27/MolochLyd4848.jpg")
The thorny dragon or thorny devil (Moloch horridus) is an Australian Lizard, also known as the mountain devil, the thorny lizard, or the moloch. This is the sole species of genus Moloch. The thorny dragon grows up to 20 cm (7.9 in) in length, and it can live for up to 20 years. Most of these lizards are coloured in camouflaging shades of desert browns and tans. These colours change from pale colours during warm weather and to darker colours during cold weather. These animals are covered entirely with conical spines that are mostly uncalcified.