Ali in the mallee

I've been out in the middle of South Australia doing some work. it's at the western margins of the mallee where it turns into the desert. lots of lovely long sinuous sand dunes, lots of lovely prickly spinifex growing on the dunes and lots of these cute l'il fellas:

This prickly one is a thorny devil. About 8cm long. and prickly and tickly when you hold them.
he looks grumpy but they are quite slow and placid really. i caught it easily by just leaning over and picking it up and he wasn't too distressed about being held.

not well camouflaged on the sand but very much harder to spot when in leaf litter.... the grumpy expression is a killer!