The frilled lizard's neck frill is normally folded against the body. When threatened, the lizard opens it, gapes, and may run before climbing out of reach. The thorny devil takes the opposite approach: mottled colors and false-looking spines break up its shape against desert soil.
Neither defense turns these lizards into indiscriminate fighters. The displays buy time, discourage pursuit, or make the animal harder to handle. Their profiles explain when each response is used and what happens after the first warning fails.