One of the most bizarre of Australia's freaky animal population is a spiny lizard known as the thorny devil or mountain devil. A thorny devil was first exhibited in London by John Gould in 1840. This spectacular specimen was illustrated by John Gray in 1841 who gave the thorny devil its official scientific name, the Latin binomial Moloch horridus. Gray named this species of lizard after a fearful Canaanite god called Moloch (sound familiar?). Dr. Gray had in mind Milton's Moloch, a horrid king smeared with the blood of human sacrifice (sound even more familiar?). The Latin specific name horridus means rough or bristly, or also dreadful.
Close ups of thorny devils are often shown in movies that are filmed in inland Australia, and most people have a mental image of these lizards as gigantic dreadful monsters. (occasionally with electronic insides). In fact, thorny devils are only moderate-sized lizards about 4-6" long. (Big sigh of relief)
by Eric R. Pianka