Wyoming State Reptile
Horned Lizard (common name) Phrynosoma (scientific name) Overview A horned lizard is quite often mistaken for a frog or a toad because of its blunt snout and rounded body. North America has 14 such horned lizard species, eight of which are indigenous to the U.S. The most common horned lizards in North America are the desert, roundtail, flat-tail, regal, Texas, and shorthorned horned lizards. The entire genus Phrynosoma was designated the official reptile of Wyoming in 1993. Close-up STATUS Official ALSO KNOWN AS Horned toad, horny frog, horny toad PHYSICAL DETAILS A horned lizard has a flat, wide body with an abbreviated tail, stubby neck, and short legs, all of which contribute to a toad-like appearance. Unlike a toad, though, it has a cluster of horns on its head, and modified scales that look like spines all over its back. Spine patterns vary by species. All horned lizards are well adapted for camouflage in their hot, dry habitats. Overall color ranges from beige to gray, and a horned lizard has a limited ability to adjust its color to blend with the ground. A horned lizard may have one or two rows of sharp-looking, fringed scales along its sides. These help hide the lizard’s body shape when it sits still. A horned lizard has a long, sticky tongue that it can flick quickly to catch ants and other small insects.    Males Females Size Average length 2.5 to 5 in (6 to 13 cm), nose to tail Average length 2.5 to 5 in (6 to 13 cm), nose to tail Weight Average 0.7 to 1 oz (20 to 30 g) Average 0.7 to 1 oz (20 to 30 g) LIFESPAN Average 5-8 years. HABITAT Hot and sandy areas, short grass prairies, sagebrush deserts, dry woodlands, semi-dry plains, and mountain habitats as high as 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Range: Western North America from British Columbia south along the Pacific Coast, east through Arkansas, and further south to Guatemala. Conservation status: Varies by species and area. Populations have decreased throughout their range. In the past, these lizards were collected and made into souvenirs. They are still collected to be sold as pets, though they are not long-lived and tend to have even shorter lives in captivity. Efforts to eliminate fire ants have reduced horned lizards' food sources in many areas. Habitat loss is also an issue for horned lizards. Some states have limited legal protection of the species common in that area, but the horned lizard has no federal conservation status. BEHAVIOR An adult horned lizard hibernates underground in cold weather and comes out when temperatures are warm. Usually, it basks in the sun until its body temperature reaches a particular point, and then it begins to look for food. A horned lizard mates in spring, and some female horned lizards lay one to three clutches of two to 16 eggs. Other species give birth to live lizards delivered in light, clear sacs, which the newborns quickly leave. In either case, young are fully formed and independent, and often begin to forage as soon as they’re born. A horned lizard is mature when it’s about 22 months old. This lizard doesn’t stalk its prey. Instead, it sits very still and catches unwary insects by flicking its sticky tongue out. Once a lizard is warm and fed, it usually sits in the shade. At night, it burrows underground to sleep. When threatened, a horned lizard’s most common defense is to stay still and blend into its background as well as possible. This lizard will also run for cover, and can puff its body up in a threatening way. As a last resort, it can squirt a little blood out of its eye, a technique that repels some, but not all, of the horned lizards' many predators. DIET Harvester ants. Also crickets, beetles, grasshoppers, termites, other small insects, and spiders. OFFSPRING Breeding interval: Annual Birthing period: July-August Average nest/litter size: 15 eggs or young Size at birth: 1 in (2.5 cm) TRIVIA All North American horned lizards are distant cousins of an Australian lizard, Moloch horridus, commonly called a thorny devil. Though the two evolved separately on different continents, they have a number of similarities. For example, both prefer to eat ants, and both get their food by sitting quietly and waiting rather than by actively foraging. Some Native American groups considered these lizards sacred, and they remain a common motif in traditional art.
	Click to enlarge an image Horned Lizard Up Close with Horned Lizard Baby Horned Lizard CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Squamata Family: Phrynosomatidae Genus: Phrynosoma
	Raw Data Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Author: World Trade Press