Thorny Devil Hotspot. Googs Track.

Thorny Devils are described as being common but are rarely seen. I have seen 6 Thorny Devils in 4 trips along Googs Track in South Australia. They have all been on the track in the same area 10 to 30 kms North of Googs Lake.

Thorny Devils respond to a threat by standing still and raising their tail vertically. This makes them hard to see while driving unless you slow down and look for them. Lots of sticks and strips of bark can look similar. They will stand still for 5 minutes or longer. They seem to rely on either camouflage or their fearsome appearance for protection from predators. This immobility also makes them easy to photograph.

Their colour changes during the day. In the morning they are dull olive.





In the afternoon they are bright yellow.





This one seemed to respond positively to maxtrax as he flattened his tail.







After a few photos I placed him on the ground away from the track and near some small black ants. Yum. He can eat his weight in black ants in a day.

Happy Thorny Devil spotting.

John