aka Devil’s Pincushion. These look like someone took a barrel cactus and buried it until only about the top 2” remain visible. This one is as big around as an average human’s palm. The thorns are about 1/8” - 1/4” thick. You can likely imagine why they get their name. They really can pierce horse hoof. This one is on the younger side, they can get up to about 12-14” in diameter given enough time.
Literally, before reading your description, I said to myself, "That isn't just a barrel cactus that somebody has buried?"