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Horned lizards (Phrynosoma) are a genus of the Phrynosomatidae
Phrynosomatidae

Phrynosomatidae is a diverse family of lizards, found from Panama to the extreme south of Canada. Many members of the group are adapted to life in hot, sandy deserts, although the spiny lizards prefer rocky deserts or even relatively moist forest edges, and the short-horned lizard lives in prairie or sagebrush environments....
 family of lizard
Lizard

Lizards are a large and widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 5,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains....
s. The horned lizard is popularly called a "horned toad," "horny toad", or "horned frog," but it is neither a toad
Toad

A toad can refer to a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura. A distinction is often made between frogs and toads by their appearance, prompted by the convergent evolution among so-called "toads" to dry habitats....
 nor a frog
Frog

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . The name frog derives from Old English language frogga, , cognate with Sanskrit plava , probably deriving from Proto-Indo-European language praw = "to jump"....
. The popular names come from the lizard's rounded body and blunt snout, which make it resemble a toad or frog. (Phrynosoma literally means "toad-bodied.") The spines on its back and sides are made from modified scales, whereas the horns on the heads are true horns (i.e.






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Horned lizards (Phrynosoma) are a genus of the Phrynosomatidae
Phrynosomatidae

Phrynosomatidae is a diverse family of lizards, found from Panama to the extreme south of Canada. Many members of the group are adapted to life in hot, sandy deserts, although the spiny lizards prefer rocky deserts or even relatively moist forest edges, and the short-horned lizard lives in prairie or sagebrush environments....
 family of lizard
Lizard

Lizards are a large and widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 5,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains....
s. The horned lizard is popularly called a "horned toad," "horny toad", or "horned frog," but it is neither a toad
Toad

A toad can refer to a number of species of amphibians in the order Anura. A distinction is often made between frogs and toads by their appearance, prompted by the convergent evolution among so-called "toads" to dry habitats....
 nor a frog
Frog

Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . The name frog derives from Old English language frogga, , cognate with Sanskrit plava , probably deriving from Proto-Indo-European language praw = "to jump"....
. The popular names come from the lizard's rounded body and blunt snout, which make it resemble a toad or frog. (Phrynosoma literally means "toad-bodied.") The spines on its back and sides are made from modified scales, whereas the horns on the heads are true horns (i.e. they have a horny core). There are 14 species of horned lizards in North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, 8 of which are native to the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. The largest-bodied and most widely distributed of the U.S. species is the Texas horned lizard
Texas horned lizard

The Texas Horned Lizard is one of 14 North American species of spikey-bodied reptiles called horned lizards. The Texas species ranges from Colorado and Kansas to northern Mexico, and from southeastern Arizona to Louisiana and Arkansas....
 (P. cornutum).

Description

Horned lizards are morphologically similar to the Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
n thorny devil
Thorny Devil

The Thorny Devil The Thorny Devil is an Australian lizard. It is also known as the Thorny Dragon, Thorny Lizard, or the Moloch and is the sole species of genus Moloch....
 (Moloch horridus), but are only distantly related. They also have other unique similarities, such as being sit-and-wait predators and preying upon ant
Ant

Ants are Eusociality insects of the family Formicidae, and along with the related wasps and bees, they belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolution from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and Evolutionary radiation after the rise of flowering plants....
s, and so the two species are considered a great example of convergent evolution
Convergent evolution

Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action....
.

Protection against predation

Horned lizards use a wide variety of means to avoid predation
Predation

In ecology, predation describes a biological interaction where a predator feeds on its prey, the organism that is attacked. Predators may or may not kill their prey prior to feeding on them, but the act of predation always results in the death of the prey....
. Their coloration generally serves as camouflage
Camouflage

Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible organism or object to remain invisibility through deception....
. When threatened, their first defense is to remain still and hope to avoid detection. If approached too closely, they generally run in short bursts and stop abruptly to confuse the predator's visual acuity. If this fails, they puff up their body to cause it to look more horny, making it appear larger and more difficult to swallow. At least four species are also able to squirt an aimed stream of blood
Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's Cell s ? such as nutrients and oxygen ? and transports waste products away from those same cells....
 from the corners of the eyes for a distance of up to 5 feet. They do this by restricting the blood flow leaving the head, thereby increasing blood pressure and rupturing tiny vessels around the eyelid
Eyelid

An eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an eye. With the exception of the prepuce and the labia minora, it has the thinnest skin of the whole body....
s. This not only confuses predators, but also the blood tastes foul to canine
Canine

Canine may refer to:* Canine tooth* Animals:** Canine, member of family Canidae** Canine, dog* Ralph Canine , American soldier & government administrator...
 and feline
Feline

Feline can refer to:* Felidae - the cat family, which includes lions, tigers and Black panther.* Felinae - the subfamily of Felidae that includes domestic cats and smaller wild cats....
 predators. It appears to have no effect against predatory bird
Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s. To avoid being picked up by the head or neck, horned lizards duck or elevate their head and orient their cranial horns straight up, or back. If a predator tries to take it by the body, the lizard drives that side of its body down into the ground so that the predator cannot easily get its lower jaw underneath this lizard.

Diet and decline

The diet of most horned lizards species varies from 60-90% harvester ant
Red harvester ant

The purple harvester ant is a large ant common in the Southwestern United States United States....
 of the genus Pogonomyrmex
Pogonomyrmex

Pogonomyrmex is a genus of harvester ants, occurring primarily in the deserts of North America and South America. The genus name originated from the Ancient Greek and refers to a beard-like structure, the psammophore, below the head , which can be found in most species of the subgenus sensu stricto....
, though they are opportunistic and supplement these with termite
Termite

The termites are a group of social insects usually classified at the Taxonomy of Order Isoptera . As truly social animals, they are termed eusocial along with the ants and some bees and wasps which are all placed in the separate Order Hymenoptera....
s, beetle
Beetle

Beetles are the group of insects with the largest number of known species. They are placed in the order Coleoptera , which contains more described species than in any other order in the animal, constituting about 25% of all known life-forms....
s, cricket
Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
s, grasshopper
Grasshopper

Grasshoppers are insects of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish them from Tettigoniidae, they are sometimes referred to as short-horned grasshoppers....
s and other small live insect
Insect

Insects are the biggest class of arthropods and the only ones with wings. They are the most diverse group of animals on the planet. They are most diverse at the equator and their diversity declines toward the poles....
s.

In California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
, and other states, horned lizards are considered threatened and given state protection, though none are on the federal endangered species list. The Texas horned lizard
Texas horned lizard

The Texas Horned Lizard is one of 14 North American species of spikey-bodied reptiles called horned lizards. The Texas species ranges from Colorado and Kansas to northern Mexico, and from southeastern Arizona to Louisiana and Arkansas....
 has declined in about 30% of its range, though there is some indication it may be making a comeback. Some California species are also in decline. The decline is usually blamed on development/destruction of habitat, the spread of non-native South America
South America

South America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere....
n ants which compete and war with the harvester ant, and the overuse of pesticide
Pesticide

A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest .A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest ....
s which kill harvester ants. In California, the introduced species is the Argentine ant
Argentine ant

The Argentine ant is a tiny dark ant native to northern Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and southern Brazil. It is an invasive species that has been established in many mediterranean climate areas, inadvertently introduced by humans to many places, including South Africa, New Zealand, Japan, Easter Island, Australia, Hawaii, Europe, and the Un...
. In Texas, it is the Argentine ant and the Brazil
Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is a country in South America. It is the List of countries and outlying territories by total area country by geographical area, occupying nearly half of South America, the List of countries by population country, and the fourth most populous democracy in the world....
ian fire ant
Fire ant

Fire ants, are stinging ants with over 280 species worldwide. They have several common names including Ginger Ants and Tropical Fire Ants , aka-kami-ari , and Feuerameise ....
. Both species are highly aggressive and fiercely territorial, and prey on harvester ant queens, destroying the horned lizard's principal source of food.

In culture

Some Native American
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
 peoples regarded horned lizards as sacred. The animal is a common motif in the art of many Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
 in the Southwestern U.S. (namely, Navajo
Navajo people

The Navajo or Din? of the Southwestern United States are the largest Native Americans in the United States tribe of North America....
) and in Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
. In the Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood

Clinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American actor, film director, film producer and composer. He is known for his tough guy, anti-hero acting roles in Action films and western films, particularly in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s....
 film The Outlaw Josey Wales
The Outlaw Josey Wales

The Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 in film Revisionist Western Western film set at the end of the American Civil War directed by and starring Clint Eastwood , with Chief Dan George, Sondra Locke, Bill McKinney, John Vernon, Paula Trueman, Sam Bottoms, Geraldine Keams, John Russell , Woodrow Parfrey, Joyce Jameson, Sheb Wooley, John Quade,...
, the character played by Chief Dan George decides to go to Mexico
Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federalism constitutionalism republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of Mexico....
 based on signs given to him by a horned toad.

The horned lizard is the state reptile
Reptile

Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, cold-blooded vertebrates that have skin covered in scale as opposed to hair or feathers....
 of both Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
 and Wyoming
Wyoming

The State of Wyoming is a sparsely populated U.S. state in the Northwestern United States of the United States. The majority of the state is dominated by the mountain ranges and rangelands of the Rocky Mountains, while the easternmost section of the state is a high altitude prairie region known as the High Plains ....
, and as the "horned frog,"and the "spiked toad is the mascot of Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University

Texas Christian University is a private university, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, Texas. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Christian Church ....
 (TCU).

The horned toad is also the mascot of Coalinga High School in Coalinga, California
Coalinga, California

Coalinga is a city in Fresno County, California. The population was 11,668 at the 2000 census and was estimated at 18,061 in 2007. It is the site of both Pleasant Valley State Prison and Coalinga State Hospital...
. The town also holds an annual "Horned Toad Derby".

Species and subspecies

  • Giant Horned Lizard
    Giant Horned Lizard

    The giant horned lizard can be found on the Pacific coast in southern Mexico. They are considered the largest horned lizard and are also the most slender ....
    , Phrynosoma asio (Cope
    Edward Drinker Cope

    Edward Drinker Cope was an United States paleontology and comparative anatomy, as well as a noted herpetology and ichthyology.Born to a wealthy Society of Friends family, Cope quickly distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper in 1859....
    , 1864)
  • Short-tailed Horned Lizard
    Short-tailed Horned Lizard

    The short-tailed horned lizard is a very rare lizard. It has a very distinct shortened tail, which is sometimes non-apparent. They specific epithet braconnieri is in honor of the France naturalist Saraphin Braconnier....
    , Phrynosoma braconnieri (Duméril, 1870)
  • Cedros Island Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma cerroense (Stejneger
    Leonhard Hess Stejneger

    Leonhard Hess Stejneger was a zoologist.Stejneger was born in Bergen, Norway, Norway. His father was Peter Stamer Steineger who was educated in private schools and was a merchant and auditor and his mother was Ingeborg...
    , 1893)
  • Texas Horned Lizard
    Texas horned lizard

    The Texas Horned Lizard is one of 14 North American species of spikey-bodied reptiles called horned lizards. The Texas species ranges from Colorado and Kansas to northern Mexico, and from southeastern Arizona to Louisiana and Arkansas....
    , Phrynosoma cornutum (Harlan
    Richard Harlan

    Richard Harlan was an United States natural history, zoologist, physicist and paleontologist.Harlan was the author of Fauna Americana and American Herpetology....
    , 1825)
  • Coast Horned Lizard
    Coast Horned Lizard

    The coast horned lizard can be found from Baja California north to California's Sacramento Valley. They are a widely divergent species with over 6 subspecies in their relatively small range....
    , Phrynosoma coronatum
  • Cape Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma coronatum coronatum (Blainville
    Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville

    Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville was a France zoologist and anatomist.Blainville was born at Arques-la-Bataille, near Dieppe, Seine-Maritime....
    , 1835)
  • San Diego Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma coronatum blainvillii (Gray
    John Edward Gray

    John Edward Gray was a United Kingdom zoology. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
    , 1839)
  • California Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma coronatum frontale (Van Denburgh, 1894)
  • Central Peninsular Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma coronatum jamesi (Schmidt
    Karl Patterson Schmidt

    Karl Patterson Schmidt was an American herpetologist....
    , 1922)
  • Northern Peninsular Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma coronatum schmidti (Barbour
    Thomas Barbour

    Thomas Barbour was an United States herpetologist. From 1927 until 1946, he was director of the Museum of Comparative Zoology founded in 1859 by Louis Agassiz at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Massachusetts....
    , 1921)


  • Ditmars or Rock Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma ditmarsi (Stejneger
    Leonhard Hess Stejneger

    Leonhard Hess Stejneger was a zoologist.Stejneger was born in Bergen, Norway, Norway. His father was Peter Stamer Steineger who was educated in private schools and was a merchant and auditor and his mother was Ingeborg...
    , 1906)
  • Short-horned Lizard
    Short-horned Lizard

    The Short-horned Lizard is a small lizard that occurs in North America. Like other horned lizards, it is often wrongly called the "Horned Toad", but it is not a toad at all....
    , Phrynosoma douglassii
  • Phrynosoma douglassi brachycercum (Smith
    Hobart M. Smith

    Hobart Muir Smith is an American herpetology. He has been credited with describing several new species of North American reptile and amphibian, as well, he has been honored by having a species Tantilla named after him, Tantilla hobartsmithi....
    , 1942)
  • Phrynosoma douglasii douglasii (Bell, 1828)


  • Mountain Short-horned Lizard
    Mountain Short-horned Lizard

    The mountain short-horned lizard, also called Hernandez's short-horned lizard or the greater short-horned lizard, is a diurnal species of Horned lizard lizard....
    , Phrynosoma hernandesi (Girard
    Charles Frédéric Girard

    Charles Fr?d?ric Girard was a France biologist specializing on ichthyology and herpetology.Born in Mulhouse, France, he studied at the College of Neuch?tel, Switzerland as a student of Louis Agassiz....
    , 1858)
  • Flat-tail Horned Lizard
    Flat-tail Horned Lizard

    The flat-tailed horned lizard is named for Col. George A. M'Call. M'Call collected the first specimen in California in the 1800s. They occupy a small range in the Sonoran Desert of southwestern California, southwestern Arizona, and extreme northern Mexico....
    , Phrynosoma mcallii (Hallowell, 1852)
  • Roundtail Horned Lizard
    Roundtail Horned Lizard

    The Roundtail Horned Lizard is the smallest species of horned lizard. Their specific epithet is from the Latin language word modestum meaning modest or calm....
    , Phrynosoma modestum (Girard, 1852)
  • Mexican Plateau Horned Lizard
    Mexican Plateau Horned Lizard

    The Mexican plateau horned lizard is a heavily spined horned lizard.Their specific epithet comes from the Latin word orbis meaning circular....
    , Phrynosoma orbiculare
  • Phrynosoma orbiculare boucardii (Duméril & Bocourt
    Marie Firmin Bocourt

    Marie Firmin Bocourt was a France zoologist and artist.In zoology, Bocourt collaborated with Auguste Dum?ril. In 1861, he was sent to Thailand , where he explored the fauna and brought back an important collection of specimens....
    , 1870)
  • Phrynosoma orbiculare bradti (Horowitz, 1955)
  • Phrynosoma orbiculare orbiculare (Linnaeus
    Carolus Linnaeus

    Carl Linnaeus was a Sweden botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern alpha taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology....
    , 1789)
  • Phrynosoma orbiculare orinetale (Horowitz, 1955)
  • Phrynosoma orbiculare cortezii (Duméril & Bocourt
    Marie Firmin Bocourt

    Marie Firmin Bocourt was a France zoologist and artist.In zoology, Bocourt collaborated with Auguste Dum?ril. In 1861, he was sent to Thailand , where he explored the fauna and brought back an important collection of specimens....
    , 1870)
  • Phrynosoma orbiculare dugesii (Duméril & Bocourt
    Marie Firmin Bocourt

    Marie Firmin Bocourt was a France zoologist and artist.In zoology, Bocourt collaborated with Auguste Dum?ril. In 1861, he was sent to Thailand , where he explored the fauna and brought back an important collection of specimens....
    , 1870)


  • Desert Horned Lizard
    Desert horned lizard

    The Desert horned lizard is a horned lizard native to western North America. They typically range in size from 3 - 5in . They are sometimes referred to as "Horned Toads" or "Horny Toads", although they are not toads....
    , Phrynosoma platyrhinos
  • Southern Desert Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum (Cope
    Edward Drinker Cope

    Edward Drinker Cope was an United States paleontology and comparative anatomy, as well as a noted herpetology and ichthyology.Born to a wealthy Society of Friends family, Cope quickly distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science; he published his first scientific paper in 1859....
    , 1896)
  • Northern Desert Horned Lizard
    Northern Desert Horned Lizard

    The Northern Desert Horned Lizard is a subspecies of desert horned lizard. It ranges between 2.5 to 3.75 inches from snout to vent, and can get to 5.5 inches long including the tail....
    , Phrynosoma platyrhinos platyrhinos (Girard
    Charles Frédéric Girard

    Charles Fr?d?ric Girard was a France biologist specializing on ichthyology and herpetology.Born in Mulhouse, France, he studied at the College of Neuch?tel, Switzerland as a student of Louis Agassiz....
    , 1852)
  • Sonoran Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma platyrhinos goodei (Stejneger
    Leonhard Hess Stejneger

    Leonhard Hess Stejneger was a zoologist.Stejneger was born in Bergen, Norway, Norway. His father was Peter Stamer Steineger who was educated in private schools and was a merchant and auditor and his mother was Ingeborg...
    , 1893)


  • Regal Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma solare (Gray
    John Edward Gray

    John Edward Gray was a United Kingdom zoology. He was the elder brother of George Robert Gray and son of the pharmacologist and botanist Samuel Frederick Gray ....
    , 1845)
  • Mexican Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma taurus (Dugés
    Alfredo Dugès

    File:Dug?s Alfredo 1826-1910.jpgAlfredo Dug?s ; was a French-born, Mexican physician and naturalist who was born in Montpellier. He was the son of zoologist Antoine Louis Dug?s ....
    , 1873)
  • Gulf Coast Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma wigginsi (Montanucci, 2004)


External links