Horny Toad

Horny Toad

Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.

Scientific Name : Phrynosoma Common Names : Horny toad, horned lizard, short-horned lizard, horntoad Basic Animal Group : Reptile Size : 2.5-8.0 inches Lifespan : 5-8 years Diet : Carnivore Habitat : Deserts and semi-arid parts of North America Population : Decreasing to stable Conservation Status : Least Concern to Near Threatened

Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Horny Toad Lizard Facts." ThoughtCo, Sep. 2, 2021, thoughtco.com/horny-toad-lizard-4767243.
Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2021, September 2). Horny Toad Lizard Facts. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/horny-toad-lizard-4767243
Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "Horny Toad Lizard Facts." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/horny-toad-lizard-4767243 (accessed October 14, 2022).

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The horny toad is actually a lizard (a reptile ) and not a toad (an amphibian ). The genus name Phrynosoma means "toad bodied" and refers to the animal's flattened, round body. There are 22 species of horned lizard and several subspecies.

The horny toad has a squat, flattened body and a blunt nose like a toad, but its life cycle and physiology are that of a lizard. Each species is distinguished by the number, size, and arrangement of the crown of horns on its head. The lizard has spines on its back and tail that are modified reptile scales, while the horns on its head are true bony horns. Horny toads come in shades of red, brown, yellow, and gray and can change their color to a certain extent to camouflage themselves against their surroundings. Most horny toads are less than 5 inches long, but some species reach 8 inches in length.

Horny toads live in arid to semi-arid regions of North America, from southwestern Canada through Mexico. In the United States, they occur from Arkansas west to California. They live in deserts, mountains, forests, and grasslands.

The lizards are insectivores that prey primarily on ants. They also eat other slow-moving ground-dwelling insects (sow bugs, caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers) and arachnids (ticks and spiders). The toad either slowly forages or else waits for prey and then catches it with its sticky, long tongue.

Horny toads feed early in the day. When ground temperature becomes too hot, they seek shade or dig themselves into the ground to rest (aestivation). In the winter and when temperatures drop in the evening, the lizards brumate by digging into the ground and entering a period of torpor . They may cover themselves completely or leave only their nostrils and eyes exposed.

Horny toads have interesting and distinctive methods of self-defense. In addition to camouflage, they use their spines to make their shadows blurry and to deter predators. When threatened, they puff up their bodies so their large size and spines make them harder to swallow. At least eight species can squirt a directed stream of blood from the corners of their eyes up to 5 feet. The blood contains compounds, presumably from the ants in the lizard's diet, that are distasteful to canines and felines.

Mating occurs in late spring. Some species bury eggs in the sand, which incubate for several weeks before hatching. In other species, eggs are retained in the female's body and the young hatch shortly before, during, or after egg-laying. The number of eggs varies by species. Between 10 and 30 eggs may be laid, with an average clutch size of 15. The eggs are about a half inch in diameter, white, and flexible.

Hatchlings are 7/8 to 1-1/8 inches long. They have horns like their parents, but their spines develop later. The hatchlings receive no parental care. Horny toads reach sexual maturity when they are two years old and live between 5 and 8 years.

Most horny toad species are classified as "least concern" by the IUCN. Phrynosoma mcallii has a conservation status of "near threatened." There is insufficient data to evaluate Phrynosoma ditmarsi or the Sonoran horned lizard, Phrynosoma goodei . Some species' populations are stable, but many are decreasing.

Humans pose the greatest threat to horny toad survival. The lizards are collected for the pet trade. In areas near human habitation, pest control threatens the lizard's food supply. Horny toads are also affected by fire ant invasions, as they are selective about the ant species they eat. Other threats include habitat loss and degradation, disease, and pollution.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the North American horned lizard. For the Australian horned lizard, see thorny devil .

^ Winton, W. M. (1916-10-24). "Habits and Behavior of the Texas Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma cornutum , Harlan. I" . Copeia . JSTOR (36): 81–84. doi : 10.2307/1436504 . ISSN 0045-8511 . JSTOR 1436504 .

^ Middendorf III, G.A.; Sherbrooke, W.C.; Braun, E.J. (2001). "Comparison of Blood Squirted from the Circumorbital Sinus and Systemic Blood in a Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma cornutum ". The Southwestern Naturalist . 46 (3): 384–387. doi : 10.2307/3672440 . JSTOR 3672440 .

^ Jump up to: a b c Sherbrooke, W.C.; Middendorf III, G.A. (2001). "Blood-Squirting Variability in Horned Lizards ( Phrynosoma )" (PDF) . Copeia . 2001 (4): 1114–1122. doi : 10.1643/0045-8511(2001)001[1114:BSVIHL]2.0.CO;2 . JSTOR 1448403 . S2CID 86061329 .

^ Jump up to: a b c Sherbrooke, W.C.; Middendorf III, G.A. (2004). "Responses of Kit Foxes ( Vulpes macrotis ) to Antipredator Blood-Squirting and Blood of Texas Horned Lizards ( Phrynosoma cornutum )" . Copeia . 2004 (3): 652–658. doi : 10.1643/CH-03-157R1 . JSTOR 1448486 . S2CID 55365586 .

^ Hodges, W.L. (2004). "Defensive blood squirting in Phrynosoma ditmarsi and a high rate of human-induced blood squirting in Phrynosoma asio ". The Southwestern Naturalist . 49 (2): 267–270. doi : 10.1894/0038-4909(2004)049<0267:DBSIPD>2.0.CO;2 . JSTOR 3672697 . S2CID 85923959 .

^ Sherbrooke, W. C. (2000). " Sceloporus jarrovii (Yarrow's spiny lizard) Ocular Sinus Bleeding" . Herpetological Review . 31 : 243.

^ Leache, A. D.; J. A. McGuire (2006). "Phylogenetic relationships of hores lizards ( Phrynosoma ) based on nuclear and mitochondrial data: evidence for a misleading mitochondrial gene tree" (PDF) . Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution . 39 (3): 628–644. doi : 10.1016/j.ympev.2005.12.016 . PMID 16488160 .

^ Jump up to: a b c Pianka, Eric; Hodges, Wendy. "Horned Lizards, Part 2" . uts.cc.utexas.edu . University of Texas. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015 . Retrieved March 1, 2015 .

^ Godfrey, Ed (December 20, 2014). "Center for Biological Diversity wants Texas horned lizard declared an endangered species in Oklahoma" . The Daily Oklahoman . Retrieved November 5, 2018 .

^ Genus Phrynosoma at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

^ "State symbols" . Wyoming Secretary of State's Office. 2011. Archived from the original on September 6, 2011 . Retrieved January 22, 2011 .

^ Texas Horned Lizard . State Symbols USA. Retrieved on 2016-10-25.

Wikispecies has information related to Phrynosoma .
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Phrynosoma .
Horned lizards ( Phrynosoma ), also known as horny toads or horntoads , are a genus of North American lizards and the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae . The common names refer directly to their horns or to their flattened, rounded bodies, and blunt snouts.

The generic name Phrynosoma means "toad-bodied". In common with true toads ( amphibians of the family Bufonidae ), horned lizards tend to move sluggishly, often remain motionless, and rely on their remarkable camouflage to avoid detection by predators. They are adapted to arid or semiarid areas. The spines on the lizard's back and sides are modified reptile scales , which prevent water loss through the skin, whereas the horns on the head are true horns (i.e., they have a bony core). Of the 21 species of horned lizards, 15 are native to the United States. The largest-bodied and most widely distributed of the US species is the Texas horned lizard .

Horned lizards use a variety of means to avoid predation . Their coloration generally serves as camouflage . When threatened, their first defense is to remain still 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 bodies to cause them to appear more horned and larger, so that they are more difficult to swallow. [1]

At least eight species ( P. asio , P. cornutum , P. coronatum , P. ditmarsi , P. hernandesi , P. orbiculare , P. solare , and P. taurus ) are also able to squirt an aimed stream of blood from the corners of the eyes for a distance up to 5 ft (1.5 m). [2] [3] [4] [5] They do this by restricting the blood flow leaving the head, thereby increasing blood pressure and rupturing tiny vessels around the eyelids . The blood not only confuses predators, but also tastes foul to canine and feline predators. It appears to have no effect against predatory birds . Only three closely related species ( P. mcallii , P. modestum , and P. platyrhinos ) are certainly known to be unable to squirt blood. [3]

While previous thought held that compounds were added to the blood from glands in the ocular sinus cavity, current research has shown that the chemical compounds that make up the defense are already in the circulating blood. [3] [4] It is possible that their diet of large quantities of venomous harvester ants could be a factor; however, the origin and structure of the chemicals responsible are still unknown. The blood-squirting mechanism increases survival after contact with canine predators; [4] the trait may provide an evolutionary advantage. Ocular autohemorrhaging has also been documented in other lizards, [6] which suggests blood-squirting could have evolved from a less extreme defense in the ancestral branch of the genus. Recent phylogenic research supports this claim, so the species incapable of squirting blood apparently have lost the adaptation for reasons yet unstudied. [7]

To avoid being picked up by the head or neck, a horned lizard ducks or elevates its head and orients its 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 the predator cannot easily get its lower jaw underneath. [ citation needed ]

A University of Texas publication notes that horned lizard populations continue to disappear throughout their distribution despite protective legislation. Population declines are attributed to a number of factors, including the fragmentation and loss of habitat from real estate development and road construction, the planting of non-native grasses (both suburban and rural), conversion of native land to pastureland and agricultural uses, and pesticides. Additionally predation by domestic dogs and cats place continued pressure upon horned lizards. [8]

Fire ants ( Solenopsis invicta ) introduced from South America via the nursery industry's potted plants, pose a significant threat to all wildlife including horned lizards. Phrynosoma do not eat fire ants. Fire ants kill many species of wildlife and are fierce competitors against native ants which horned lizards require for food (with their specialized nutritional content). Fire ants have given all ants a bad reputation and human attempts to eradicate ants, including invasive species and the native species on which the lizards prey, contribute to the continued displacement of native ant species and decline of horned lizards. [8]

The Texas horned lizard ( Phrynosoma cornutum ) has disappeared from almost half of its geographic range. Their popularity in the early to mid 20th century pet trade, where collectors took thousands from the wild populations to sell to pet distributors, without provision for their highly specialized nutritional needs (primarily formic acid from harvester ants), resulted in certain death for almost all the collected lizards. In 1967 the state of Texas passed protective legislation preventing the collection, exportation, and sale of Phrynosoma , and by the early 1970s most states enacted similar laws to protect and conserve horned lizards in the USA. However, as recently as the early 2000s the state of Nevada still allowed commercial exploitation of Phrynosoma . Despite limited federal protection in Mexico , horned lizards are still offered in Mexican "pet" markets throughout the country. [8]

In 2014, the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson petitioned the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation to have the Texas horned lizard put on the endangered species list due to the massive declines of its population in Oklahoma, where it was once plentiful. The center said it may later seek protection for the animal on a federal level; it also said that reptiles in general are dying off at up to 10,000 times their historic extinction rate, greatly due to human influences. [9]

The following 21 species (listed alphabetically by scientific name) are recognized as being valid by the Reptile Database , three species of which have recognized subspecies : [10]

Note : In the above list, a binomial authority or trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Phrynosoma .

Blainville's horned lizard ( P. blainvillii)

Short-tailed horned lizard ( P. braconnieri) , Oaxaca, Mexico (20 May 2013).

Texas horned lizard ( P. cornutum ), Armstrong County, Texas, USA (28 April 2013)

Coast horned lizard ( P. coronatum ), San Luis Obispo County, California, USA (June 14, 2008)

Coast horned lizard ( P. coronatum ) (25 April 2009)

Greater short-horned lizard ( P. douglassi brevirostre ), Sweetwater County, Wyoming, USA (15 June 2016).

Pygmy short-horned lizard ( P. douglasii) , Washington, USA (5 June 2014)

Mountain short-horned lizard ( P. hernandesi) , Culberson County, Texas, USA (19 May 2018)

Flat-tailed horned lizard ( P. mcallii) (9 November 2010)

Round-tail horned lizard ( P. modestum ), Municipality of Tula, Tamaulipas, Mexico (15 August 2004)

Mountain horned lizard ( P. orbiculare orientale ), Municipality of Miquihuana, Tamaulipas, Mexico (24 September 2009)

Desert horned lizard ( P. platyrhinos ), San Bernardino County, California, USA (9 July 2019)

Regal horned lizard ( P. solare ), Apache Junction, Arizona, USA (25 March 2007)

The genus of horned lizards is the official state reptile of Wyoming. [11]
Texas designated the Texas horned lizard ( Phrynosoma cornutum ) as the official state reptile in 1993 [12] and the " TCU Horned Frog " is the mascot of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. TCU is the only known athletic team with the horned lizard as a mascot.

The TCU mascot is commonly known as Super frog to TCU fans and students. He is usually present at TCU sporting events.

Horned lizard on a necktie at El Paso, Texas, in 1940

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