Horned lizard: Difference between revisions

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:Automatic taxobox Phrynosoma, whose members are known as the horned lizards, horny toads, or horntoads, is a genus of North American lizards and the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. Their common names refer directly to their horns or to their flattened, rounded bodies (squat bodied), 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). A urinary bladder is absent.^[1] Of the 21 species of horned lizards, 15 are native to the US. The largest-bodied and most widely distributed of the American species is the Texas horned lizard.

Biology

Rain-harvesting

Like the unrelated thorny devil (Moloch horridus) which also lives in arid environments, some species of horned lizards exhibit a behaviour known as "rain-harvesting". As rain falls on the scales of a lizard's back, water is passively transported through channels to its mouth by capillary action.^[2] The extent of this ability varies between species of horned lizards.^[3]

Defenses

Template:Easy CSS image crop Horned lizards use a variety of means to avoid predation. Their coloration generally serves as camouflage. When threatened, their first defense is to remain motionless 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.^[4]

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.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Blood-squirting

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 Script error: No such module "convert"..^[5]^[6]^[7]^[8] 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 either be unable to squirt blood or only do it extremely rarely.^[6]

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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.^[6]^[7] 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;^[7] the trait may provide an evolutionary advantage. Ocular autohemorrhaging has also been documented in other lizards,^[9] 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.^[10]

Population decline

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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.^[11]

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 species do not eat fire ants. Fire ants kill many species of wildlife, and are fierce competitors against the 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 the decline of horned lizards.^[11]

File:Horned lizards.jpg

Comparison of P. modestum and P. platyrhinos

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 US. As recently as the early 2000s, though, the state of Nevada still allowed commercial sale of Phrynosoma species. Despite limited federal protection in Mexico, horned lizards are still offered in Mexican "pet" markets throughout the country.^[11]

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 decline 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.^[12]

Species and subspecies

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:^[13]

Image	Common name	Scientific name		Distribution
File:Phrynosoma asio 61552500.jpg	Giant horned lizard	Phrynosoma asio Cope, 1864Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		southern Mexico
	Baur's short-horned lizard	Phrynosoma bauri Montanucci, 2015Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". (disputed, may be conspecific with P. hernandesi)		United States (southern Wyoming and Nebraska south through eastern Colorado to northern New Mexico)
File:Blainville's Horned Lizard, California, US imported from iNaturalist photo 287121136 (cropped).jpg	San Diego horned lizard, Blainville's horned lizard	Phrynosoma blainvillii Gray, 1839Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		United States (southern and central California), Mexico (northern Baja California)
File:Phrynosoma braconnieri 6765654 (cropped).jpg	Short-tailed horned lizard	Phrynosoma braconnieri A.H.A. Duméril, 1870Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		Mexico (Puebla and Oaxaca)
File:Phrynosoma hernandesi - Flickr - aspidoscelis (11).jpg	Great Plains short-horned lizard	Phrynosoma brevirostris (Girard, 1858)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". (disputed, may be conspecific with P. hernandesi)		Canada and the United States
File:Cedros Island Horned Lizard, 22952, Ensenada, BC , MX imported from iNaturalist photo 39734057 (cropped).jpg	Cedros Island horned lizard	Phrynosoma cerroense Stejneger, 1893Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		Mexico (Cedros Island)
File:Texas Horned Lizard, Texas, US imported from iNaturalist photo 1845460 (cropped).jpg	Texas horned lizard	Phrynosoma cornutum (Harlan, 1825)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		United States (southeast Colorado, central and southern areas of Kansas, central and western areas of Oklahoma and Texas, southeast New Mexico, and extreme southeast Arizona), Mexico (eastern Sonora, most of Chihuahua, northeast Durango, northern Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí, and throughout most of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas)
File:09-036 Horned Lizard (Phyrnosoma coronatum) (3481417849).jpg	Coast horned lizard	Phrynosoma coronatum (Blainville, 1835)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	Cape horned lizard, P. c. coronatum (Blainville, 1835)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". California horned lizard, P. c. frontale Van Denburgh, 1894Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Central peninsular horned lizard, P. c. jamesi Schmidt, 1922Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	Mexico (Baja California Sur)
	San Luis Valley short-horned lizard	Phrynosoma diminutum Montanucci, 2015Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". (disputed, may be conspecific with P. hernandesi)		United States (Colorado)
File:Phrynosoma ditmarsi, cananea sonora imported from iNaturalist photo 590575456 (cropped).jpg	Ditmars' horned lizard, rock horned lizard	Phrynosoma ditmarsi Stejneger, 1906Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		Mexico (Sonora), United States (Arizona)
File:Phrynosoma douglasii 41603876 (rotate) (cropped).jpg	Pygmy short-horned lizard	Phrynosoma douglasii (Bell, 1828)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		northwestern United States and adjacent southwestern Canada
	Sonoran horned lizard, Goode's desert horned lizard	Phrynosoma goodei Stejneger, 1893Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		United States (Arizona) and Mexico (Sonora)
File:Greater Short-horned Lizard imported from iNaturalist photo 133449794 on 10 December 2025 (rotated).jpg	Greater short-horned lizard	Phrynosoma hernandesi Girard, 1858Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico
File:Phrynosoma mcallii 1536974 (cropped).jpg	Flat-tail horned lizard	Phrynosoma mcallii (Hallowell, 1852)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		United States and Mexico
File:Roundtail Horned Lizard, Eddy County, US-NM, US imported from iNaturalist photo 448984177 (cropped).jpg	Roundtail horned lizard	Phrynosoma modestum Girard, 1852Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		United States (Texas, New Mexico eastern Arizona, southeastern Colorado), northcentral Mexico
File:Phrynosoma orbiculare 306114722 (cropped).jpg	Mexican Plateau horned lizard, Chihuahua Desert horned lizard	Phrynosoma orbiculare (Linnaeus, 1758)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	P. o. bradti Horowitz, 1955Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". P. o. cortezii (A.H.A. Duméril & Bocourt, 1870)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". P. o. dugesii (A.H.A. Duméril & Bocourt, 1870)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". P. o. orbiculare (Linnaeus, 1758)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". P. o. orientale Horowitz, 1955Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Morelos, Nuevo León, Puebla, and Veracruz)
File:Desert Short-horned Lizard, Valencia County, NM, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 99242699 (cropped).jpg	Desert short-horned lizard	Phrynosoma ornatissimum (Girard, 1858)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". (disputed, may be conspecific with P. hernandesi)		Canada and the United States
File:Desert Horned Lizard, California City, CA, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 369890015 (rotated).jpg	Desert horned lizard	Phrynosoma platyrhinos Girard, 1852Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	Southern desert horned lizard, P. p. calidiarum (Cope, 1896)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Northern desert horned lizard, P. p. platyrhinos Girard, 1852Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".	southern Idaho in the north to northern Mexico
	Guerreran horned lizard	Phrynosoma sherbrookei Nieto-Montes de Oca, Arenas-Moreno, Beltrán-Sánchez & Leaché, 2014Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		Mexico
File:Phrynosoma solare 399512817 (rotated).jpg	Regal horned lizard	Phrynosoma solare Gray, 1845Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		Arizona and Mexico
File:Phrynosoma taurus 234908236 (cropped).jpg	Mexican horned lizard	Phrynosoma taurus Dugès, 1873Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".		Mexico (Guerrero and Puebla)

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.

Gallery

Blainville's horned lizard (P. blainvillii)

Blainville's horned lizard (P. blainvillii)
Texas horned lizard (P. cornutum), Armstrong County, Texas, US (28 April 2013)

Texas horned lizard (P. cornutum), Armstrong County, Texas, US (28 April 2013)
Coast horned lizard (P. coronatum), San Luis Obispo County, California, US (June 14, 2008)

Coast horned lizard (P. coronatum), San Luis Obispo County, California, US (June 14, 2008)
Coast horned lizard (P. coronatum) (25 April 2009)

Coast horned lizard (P. coronatum) (25 April 2009)
Greater short-horned lizard (P. douglassi brevirostre), Sweetwater County, Wyoming, US (15 June 2016).

Greater short-horned lizard (P. douglassi brevirostre), Sweetwater County, Wyoming, US (15 June 2016).
Pygmy short-horned lizard (P. douglasii), Washington, US (5 June 2014)

Pygmy short-horned lizard (P. douglasii), Washington, US (5 June 2014)
Mountain short-horned lizard (P. hernandesi), Culberson County, Texas, US (19 May 2018)

Mountain short-horned lizard (P. hernandesi), Culberson County, Texas, US (19 May 2018)
Round-tail horned lizard (P. modestum), Municipality of Tula, Tamaulipas, Mexico (15 August 2004)

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)

Mountain horned lizard (P. orbiculare orientale), Municipality of Miquihuana, Tamaulipas, Mexico (24 September 2009)
Desert horned lizard (P. platyrhinos), San Bernardino County, California, US (9 July 2019)

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

Symbol

Texas designated the Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) as the official state reptile in 1993.^[14] Wyoming’s state reptile is the “Horn Toad”, the greater short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi).^[15]^[16]

The "TCU Horned Frog" is the mascot of Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. The "Horned Toad" is also the mascot for Coalinga High School in Coalinga, California. This school is located in Western Central California and its arid region is home to the San Diego Horned Lizard, which is protected. The City of Coalinga hosts an annual "Horned Toad Derby" on Memorial day weekend which features horned toad races, a carnival and parade.

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

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

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

References

↑ Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery
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↑ Genus Phrynosoma at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.
↑ Texas Horned Lizard Template:Webarchive. State Symbols USA. Retrieved on 2016-10-25.
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↑ Mason Lee. 2022. Wyoming’s surprising state reptile has spikes, shoots blood from eyes—. Barnyards & Backyards. 6-7 pp. University of Wyoming.

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External links

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[1] Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery

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[13] Genus Phrynosoma at The Reptile Database www.reptile-database.org.

[14] Texas Horned Lizard Template:Webarchive. State Symbols USA. Retrieved on 2016-10-25.

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[Mason_Lee._2022-16] Mason Lee. 2022. Wyoming’s surprising state reptile has spikes, shoots blood from eyes—. Barnyards & Backyards. 6-7 pp. University of Wyoming.

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@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{Automatic taxobox
 | name = Horned lizard
-| image = Horned lizard 032507 kdh.jpg
+| image = {{Easy CSS image crop|Image=Mountain Horned Lizard, Tutuaca, Chihuahua imported from iNaturalist photo 411168.jpg|crop_right_perc=10|crop_left_perc=|crop_top_perc=15|desired_width=250}}
-| image_caption = [[Regal Horned Lizard|Regal horned lizard]]
+| image_caption = [[Phrynosoma orbiculare|Mountain horned lizard]] (''P. orbiculare'')
 | taxon = Phrynosoma
 | authority = [[Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann|Wiegmann]], 1828
@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 | type_species_authority = [[Linnaeus]], 1758
 | subdivision_ranks = Species
 | subdivision =
 }}
 '''''Phrynosoma''''', whose members are known as the '''horned lizards''', '''horny toads''', or '''horntoads''', is a [[genus]] of North American [[lizard]]s and the [[type genus]] of the [[Family (biology)|family]] [[Phrynosomatidae]]. Their [[common name]]s refer directly to their horns or to their flattened, rounded bodies (squat bodied), and blunt snouts.
-The [[Genus|generic name]] ''Phrynosoma'' means "toad-bodied". In common with true toads ([[amphibian]]s 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 scale]]s, which prevent water loss through the skin, whereas the horns on the head are true horns (i.e., they have a bony core). A [[Bladder#Reptiles|urinary bladder]] is absent.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=75h9DwAAQBAJ&dq=Squamata+Sauria+kidneys+bladder&pg=PA624 Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery]</ref> Of the 21 species of horned lizards, 15 are native to the USA. The largest-bodied and most widely distributed of the American species is the [[Texas horned lizard]].
+The [[Genus|generic name]] ''Phrynosoma'' means "toad-bodied". In common with true toads ([[amphibian]]s 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 scale]]s, which prevent water loss through the skin, whereas the horns on the head are true horns (i.e., they have a bony core). A [[Bladder#Reptiles|urinary bladder]] is absent.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=75h9DwAAQBAJ&dq=Squamata+Sauria+kidneys+bladder&pg=PA624 Mader's Reptile and Amphibian Medicine and Surgery]</ref> Of the 21 species of horned lizards, 15 are native to the US. The largest-bodied and most widely distributed of the American species is the [[Texas horned lizard]].
-==Defenses==
+== Biology ==
-[[File:Phrynosoma orbiculare 1.jpg|thumb|left|Mexican Plateau horned lizard (''Phrynosoma orbiculare'') near Xalapa de Enríquez, Veracruz, Mexico, showing blood squirted from the eye as defensive behavior (20 April 2011)]]
+=== Rain-harvesting ===
+Like the unrelated [[thorny devil]] (''Moloch horridus'') which also lives in arid environments, some species of horned lizards exhibit a behaviour known as "rain-harvesting". As rain falls on the scales of a lizard's back, water is passively transported through channels to its mouth by capillary action.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sherbrooke |first=Wade |date=2004-01-01 |title=Integumental water movement and rate of water ingestion during rain harvesting in the Texas horned lizard, Phrynosoma cornutum |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/amre/25/1/article-p29_4.xml |access-date=2025-12-10 |website=brill.com}}</ref> The extent of this ability varies between species of horned lizards.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Joel |first=Anna-Christin |last2=Linde |first2=Jenice R. N. |last3=Comanns |first3=Philipp |last4=Emonts |first4=Caroline |last5=Weissbach |first5=Margret |last6=Flecks |first6=Morris |last7=Rödder |first7=Dennis |date=2021 |title=Phylogenetic and morphological influence on habitat choice in moisture-harvesting horned lizards (Phrynosoma spp.) |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ece3.8132 |journal=Ecology and Evolution |language=en |volume=11 |issue=20 |pages=14146–14161 |doi=10.1002/ece3.8132 |issn=2045-7758 |pmc=8525137 |pmid=34707847}}</ref>
+=== Defenses ===
+{{Easy CSS image crop|Image=Phrynosoma mcallii 17229024.jpg|caption=''[[Phrynosoma mcallii]]'' skull|crop_top_perc=48|crop_bottom_perc=15|crop_left_perc=24|crop_right_perc=18|desired_width=250}}
 Horned lizards use a variety of means to avoid [[predation]]. Their coloration generally serves as [[camouflage]]. When threatened, their first defense is to remain motionless 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.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Winton | first=W. M. | title=Habits and Behavior of the Texas Horned Lizard, ''Phrynosoma cornutum'', Harlan. I | journal=Copeia | publisher=JSTOR | issue=36 | date=1916-10-24 | volume=36 | pages=81–84 | issn=0045-8511 | doi=10.2307/1436504 | jstor=1436504 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/part/85685 }}</ref>
-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 [[Autohaemorrhaging|squirt an aimed stream of blood]] from the corners of the eyes for a distance up to {{convert|5|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Middendorf III et al., 2001"/><ref name="Sherbrooke & Middendorf III, 2001"/><ref name="Sherbrooke & Middendorf III, 2004"/><ref name=hodges/> They do this by restricting the blood flow leaving the head, thereby increasing blood pressure and rupturing tiny vessels around the [[eyelid]]s.  The blood not only confuses predators but also tastes foul to [[dog|canine]] and [[Felinae|feline]] predators. It appears to have no effect against predatory [[bird]]s. Only three closely related species (''P. mcallii'', ''P. modestum'', and ''P. platyrhinos'') are certainly known to either be unable to squirt blood or only do it extremely rarely.<ref name="Sherbrooke & Middendorf III, 2001"/>
+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|date=September 2017}}
+==== Blood-squirting ====
+At least eight species (''P.&nbsp;asio'', ''P.&nbsp;cornutum'', ''P.&nbsp;coronatum'', ''P.&nbsp;ditmarsi'', ''P.&nbsp;hernandesi'', ''P.&nbsp;orbiculare'', ''P.&nbsp;solare'', and ''P.&nbsp;taurus'') are also able to [[Autohaemorrhaging|squirt an aimed stream of blood]] from the corners of the eyes for a distance up to {{convert|5|ft|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Middendorf III et al., 2001"/><ref name="Sherbrooke & Middendorf III, 2001"/><ref name="Sherbrooke & Middendorf III, 2004"/><ref name=hodges/> They do this by restricting the blood flow leaving the head, thereby increasing blood pressure and rupturing tiny vessels around the [[eyelid]]s.  The blood not only confuses predators but also tastes foul to [[dog|canine]] and [[Felinae|feline]] predators. It appears to have no effect against predatory [[bird]]s. Only three closely related species (''P.&nbsp;mcallii'', ''P.&nbsp;modestum'', and ''P.&nbsp;platyrhinos'') are certainly known to either be unable to squirt blood or only do it extremely rarely.<ref name="Sherbrooke & Middendorf III, 2001"/>
-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.<ref name="Sherbrooke & Middendorf III, 2001"/><ref name="Sherbrooke & Middendorf III, 2004"/> It is possible that their diet of large quantities of venomous [[harvester ant]]s 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;<ref name="Sherbrooke & Middendorf III, 2004"/> the trait may provide an evolutionary advantage. Ocular autohemorrhaging has also been documented in other lizards,<ref name="Sherbrooke, 2000"/> 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.<ref name="Leaché and McGuire (2006)"/>
+{{Multiple image
+| image1            = Texas Horned Lizard, Aguirre Springs Rd, Las Cruces, NM 88011, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 178115678.jpg
+| total_width       = 820
+| image2            = Phrynosoma coronatum 341524859.jpg
+| image3            = Short-horned lizard - Charles M Russell National Wildlife Refuge - Montana - 2011-04-12.jpg
+| align             = center
+| footer            = [[Autohaemorrhaging]] in ''[[Phrynosoma cornutum|P. cornutum]]'', ''[[Phrynosoma coronatum|P. coronatum]]'', ''[[Phrynosoma hernandesi|P. hernandesi]]'', and ''[[Phrynosoma orbiculare|P. orbiculare]]'' (from left to right)
+| image4            = Phrynosoma orbiculare 1.jpg
+}}
-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|date=September 2017}}
+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.<ref name="Sherbrooke & Middendorf III, 2001" /><ref name="Sherbrooke & Middendorf III, 2004" /> It is possible that their diet of large quantities of venomous [[harvester ant]]s 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;<ref name="Sherbrooke & Middendorf III, 2004" /> the trait may provide an evolutionary advantage. Ocular autohemorrhaging has also been documented in other lizards,<ref name="Sherbrooke, 2000" /> 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.<ref name="Leaché and McGuire (2006)" />
 ==Population decline==
-[[File:Phrynosoma douglasii 4220.JPG|thumb|upright|''[[Phrynosoma douglasii]]'']]
+{{Multiple image
+| image1            = Texas Horned Lizard, Texas, US imported from iNaturalist photo 7840733.jpg
+| image2            = Texas Horned Lizard, Texas, US imported from iNaturalist photo 7840725.jpg
+| image3            = Phrynosoma blainvillii 524018896.jpg
+| image4            = Texas Horned Lizard, Texas, US imported from iNaturalist photo 17879192.jpg
+| total_width       = 300
+| perrow            = 3/2
+| footer            = Horned lizards have distinctive [[Feces#Feces_of_animals|scat]] from their [[myrmecophagous]] diet
+| image5            = Texas Horned Lizard, Texas, US imported from iNaturalist photo 29591135.jpg
+}}
 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.<ref name=Pianka>{{cite web|last1=Pianka|first1=Eric|last2=Hodges|first2=Wendy|title=Horned Lizards, Part 2|url=http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~varanus/phryno2.html|website=uts.cc.utexas.edu|publisher=University of Texas|access-date=March 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426033805/http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~varanus/phryno2.html|archive-date=April 26, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
-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'' species do not eat fire ants. Fire ants kill many species of wildlife, and are fierce competitors against the 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 the decline of horned lizards.<ref name=Pianka/>
+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'' species do not eat fire ants. Fire ants kill many species of wildlife, and are fierce competitors against the 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 the decline of horned lizards.<ref name=Pianka/>[[File:Horned lizards.jpg|240px|thumb|Comparison of ''P.&nbsp;modestum'' and ''P.&nbsp;platyrhinos'']]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 US. As recently as the early 2000s, though, the state of [[Nevada]] still allowed commercial sale of ''Phrynosoma'' species. Despite limited federal protection in [[Mexico]], horned lizards are still offered in Mexican "pet" markets throughout the country.<ref name="Pianka" />
-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. As recently as the early 2000s, though, the state of [[Nevada]] still allowed commercial sale of ''Phrynosoma'' species. Despite limited federal protection in [[Mexico]], horned lizards are still offered in Mexican "pet" markets throughout the country.<ref name=Pianka/>
 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 decline 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://newsok.com/article/5378004/center-for-biological-diversity-wants-texas-horned-lizard-declared-an-endangered-species-in-Oklahoma|title=Center for Biological Diversity wants Texas horned lizard declared an endangered species in Oklahoma|last=Godfrey|first=Ed|work=[[The Daily Oklahoman]]|date=December 20, 2014|access-date=November 5, 2018}}</ref>
@@ Line 41: / Line 65: @@
 {| class="wikitable"
 |-
-! Image !! Common Name !! Scientific Name !! Subspecies  !!Distribution
+! Image !! Common name !! colspan="2" | Scientific name !! style="width: 200pt;" | Distribution
 |-
-|[[File:Gfp-mexican-west-coast-giant-horned-lizard (crop 1).jpg|120px]] ||[[Giant horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma asio'' {{small|[[Edward Drinker Cope|Cope]], 1864}} ||  ||southern Mexico
+|[[File:Phrynosoma asio 61552500.jpg|200x200px]]||[[Giant horned lizard]] || colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma asio'' <br />{{small|[[Edward Drinker Cope|Cope]], 1864}} ||southern Mexico
 |-
-| ||[[Baur's short-horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma bauri'' {{small|[[species:Richard R. Montanucci|Montanucci]], 2015}} (disputed; may be conspecific with ''P. hernandesi'') || ||United States ( southern Wyoming and Nebraska south through eastern Colorado to northern New Mexico)
+| ||[[Baur's short-horned lizard]] || colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma bauri'' <br />{{small|[[species:Richard R. Montanucci|Montanucci]], 2015}} <br />(disputed, may be conspecific with ''P. hernandesi'') ||United States (southern Wyoming and Nebraska south through eastern Colorado to northern New Mexico)
 |-
-|[[File:Phrynosoma blainvillii 131129535.jpg|120px]] ||[[San Diego horned lizard]] or Blainville's horned lizard  ||''Phrynosoma blainvillii'' {{small|[[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1839}} || ||United States (southern and central California), Mexico (northern Baja California).
+|[[File:Blainville's Horned Lizard, California, US imported from iNaturalist photo 287121136 (cropped).jpg|200x200px]]||[[San Diego horned lizard]],
+Blainville's horned lizard
+| colspan="2" |''Phrynosoma blainvillii'' <br />{{small|[[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1839}} ||United States (southern and central California), Mexico (northern Baja California)
 |-
-|[[File:Phrynosoma braconnieri.jpg|120px]] ||[[Short-tailed horned lizard]] ||''Phrynosoma braconnieri'' {{small|[[Auguste Duméril|A.H.A. Duméril]], 1870}} || || Mexico (Puebla and Oaxaca)
+|[[File:Phrynosoma braconnieri 6765654 (cropped).jpg|200x200px]]||[[Short-tailed horned lizard]] || colspan="2" |''Phrynosoma braconnieri'' <br />{{small|[[Auguste Duméril|A.H.A. Duméril]], 1870}} || Mexico (Puebla and Oaxaca)
 |-
-|[[File:Phrynosoma hernandesi - Flickr - aspidoscelis (11).jpg|120px]] ||[[Great Plains short-horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma brevirostris'' {{small|([[Charles Frédéric Girard|Girard]], 1858)}} (disputed; may be conspecific with ''P. hernandesi'') || || Canada and the United States
+|[[File:Phrynosoma hernandesi - Flickr - aspidoscelis (11).jpg|200x200px]] ||[[Great Plains short-horned lizard]] || colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma brevirostris'' <br />{{small|([[Charles Frédéric Girard|Girard]], 1858)}} <br />(disputed, may be conspecific with ''P. hernandesi'') || Canada and the United States
 |-
-| ||[[Cedros Island horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma cerroense'' {{small|[[Leonhard Stejneger|Stejneger]], 1893}} || || Mexico (Cedros Island)
+| [[File:Cedros Island Horned Lizard, 22952, Ensenada, BC , MX imported from iNaturalist photo 39734057 (cropped).jpg|frameless|200x200px]]||[[Cedros Island horned lizard]] || colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma cerroense'' <br />{{small|[[Leonhard Stejneger|Stejneger]], 1893}} || Mexico (Cedros Island)
 |-
-|[[File:Phrynosoma cornutum - Flickr - aspidoscelis (4).jpg|120px]] ||[[Texas horned lizard]] ||''Phrynosoma cornutum'' {{small|([[Richard Harlan|Harlan]], 1825)}} || ||United States (southeast Colorado, central and southern areas of Kansas, central and western areas of Oklahoma and Texas, southeast New Mexico, and extreme southeast Arizona), Mexico (eastern Sonora, most of Chihuahua, northeast Durango, northern Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí, and throughout most of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.)
+|[[File:Texas Horned Lizard, Texas, US imported from iNaturalist photo 1845460 (cropped).jpg|200x200px]]||[[Texas horned lizard]] || colspan="2" |''Phrynosoma cornutum'' <br />{{small|([[Richard Harlan|Harlan]], 1825)}} ||United States (southeast Colorado, central and southern areas of Kansas, central and western areas of Oklahoma and Texas, southeast New Mexico, and extreme southeast Arizona), Mexico (eastern Sonora, most of Chihuahua, northeast Durango, northern Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí, and throughout most of Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas)
 |-
-|[[File:09-036 Horned Lizard (Phyrnosoma coronatum) (3481417849).jpg|120px]] ||[[Coast horned lizard]] || ''[[Coast horned lizard|Phrynosoma coronatum]]'' {{small|([[Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville|Blainville]], 1835)}} ||
+|[[File:09-036 Horned Lizard (Phyrnosoma coronatum) (3481417849).jpg|200x200px]] ||[[Coast horned lizard]] || ''[[Coast horned lizard|Phrynosoma coronatum]]'' <br />{{small|([[Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville|Blainville]], 1835)}} ||
-*Cape horned lizard, ''P. c. coronatum'' {{small|(Blainville, 1835)}}
+*Cape horned lizard, ''P. c. coronatum'' <br />{{small|(Blainville, 1835)}}
-*California horned lizard, ''P. c. frontale'' {{small|[[J. Van Denburgh|Van Denburgh]], 1894}}
+*California horned lizard, ''P. c. frontale'' <br />{{small|[[J. Van Denburgh|Van Denburgh]], 1894}}
-*Central peninsular horned lizard, ''P. c. jamesi'' {{small|[[Karl Patterson Schmidt|Schmidt]], 1922}}
+*Central peninsular horned lizard, ''P. c. jamesi'' <br />{{small|[[Karl Patterson Schmidt|Schmidt]], 1922}}
-|| Mexico (Baja California Sur )
+|| Mexico (Baja California Sur)
 |-
-| ||[[San Luis Valley short-horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma diminutum'' {{small|Montanucci, 2015}} (disputed; may be conspecific with ''P. hernandesi'') || ||United States (Colorado)
+| ||[[San Luis Valley short-horned lizard]] || colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma diminutum'' <br>{{small|Montanucci, 2015}} <br />(disputed, may be conspecific with ''P. hernandesi'') ||United States (Colorado)
 |-
-| ||Ditmars' horned lizard or [[rock horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma ditmarsi'' {{small|Stejneger, 1906}} || || Mexico (Sonora), United States (Arizona)
+| [[File:Phrynosoma ditmarsi, cananea sonora imported from iNaturalist photo 590575456 (cropped).jpg|frameless|200x200px]]||Ditmars' horned lizard,
+[[rock horned lizard]]
+| colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma ditmarsi'' <br />{{small|Stejneger, 1906}} || Mexico (Sonora), United States (Arizona)
 |-
-|[[File:Phrynosoma douglasii 4244.JPG|120px]] ||[[Pygmy short-horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma douglasii'' {{small|([[Thomas Bell (zoologist)|Bell]], 1828)}} || ||northwestern United States and adjacent southwestern Canada
+|[[File:Phrynosoma douglasii 41603876 (rotate) (cropped).jpg|200x200px]]||[[Pygmy short-horned lizard]] || colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma douglasii'' <br />{{small|([[Thomas Bell (zoologist)|Bell]], 1828)}} ||northwestern United States and adjacent southwestern Canada
 |-
-| ||[[Sonoran horned lizard]], Goode's desert horned lizard || ''Phrynosoma goodei'' {{small|Stejneger, 1893}} ||  ||United States (Arizona) and Mexico ([[Sonora]])
+| ||[[Sonoran horned lizard]],
+Goode's desert horned lizard
+| colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma goodei'' <br />{{small|Stejneger, 1893}} ||United States (Arizona) and Mexico ([[Sonora]])
 |-
-|[[File:Phrynosoma hernandesi - Flickr - aspidoscelis (11).jpg|120px]] ||[[Greater short-horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma hernandesi'' {{small|Girard, 1858}} || || southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico
+|[[File:Greater Short-horned Lizard imported from iNaturalist photo 133449794 on 10 December 2025 (rotated).jpg|200x200px]]||[[Greater short-horned lizard]] || colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma hernandesi'' <br />{{small|Girard, 1858}} || southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico
 |-
-|[[File:Flat-Tailed Horned Lizard (5162160076).jpg|120px]] ||[[Flat-tail horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma mcallii'' {{small|([[Edward Hallowell (herpetologist)|Hallowell]], 1852)}} || ||United States and Mexico
+|[[File:Phrynosoma mcallii 1536974 (cropped).jpg|200x200px]]||[[Flat-tail horned lizard]] || colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma mcallii'' <br />{{small|([[Edward Hallowell (herpetologist)|Hallowell]], 1852)}} ||United States and Mexico
 |-
-|[[File:Phrynosoma modestum - Flickr - aspidoscelis (18).jpg|120px]] ||[[Roundtail horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma modestum'' {{small|Girard, 1852}} || || United States( Texas, New Mexico eastern Arizona, southeastern Colorado), northcentral Mexico
+|[[File:Roundtail Horned Lizard, Eddy County, US-NM, US imported from iNaturalist photo 448984177 (cropped).jpg|200x200px]]||[[Roundtail horned lizard]] || colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma modestum'' <br />{{small|Girard, 1852}} || United States (Texas, New Mexico eastern Arizona, southeastern Colorado), northcentral Mexico
 |-
-|[[File:Lagarto Cornudo Camaleón Cornudo Iv (233411137).jpeg|120px]] ||[[Mexican Plateau horned lizard]] or Chihuahua Desert horned lizard || ''Phrynosoma orbiculare'' {{small|([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758)}} ||
+|[[File:Phrynosoma orbiculare 306114722 (cropped).jpg|200x200px]]||[[Mexican Plateau horned lizard]],
-*''P. o. bradti'' {{small|[[species:Samuel B. Horowitz|Horowitz]], 1955}}
+Chihuahua Desert horned lizard
-*''P. o. cortezii'' {{small|(A.H.A. Duméril & [[Marie Firmin Bocourt|Bocourt]], 1870)}}
+| ''Phrynosoma orbiculare'' <br />{{small|([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758)}} ||
-*''P. o. dugesii'' {{small|(A.H.A. Duméril & Bocourt, 1870)}}
+*''P. o. bradti'' <br />{{small|[[species:Samuel B. Horowitz|Horowitz]], 1955}}
-*''P. o. orbiculare'' {{small|(Linnaeus, 1758)}}
+*''P. o. cortezii'' <br />{{small|(A.H.A. Duméril & [[Marie Firmin Bocourt|Bocourt]], 1870)}}
-*''P. o. orientale'' {{small|Horowitz, 1955}}
+*''P. o. dugesii'' <br />{{small|(A.H.A. Duméril & Bocourt, 1870)}}
-||Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Morelos, Nuevo León, Puebla, and Veracruz.)
+*''P. o. orbiculare'' <br />{{small|(Linnaeus, 1758)}}
+*''P. o. orientale''<br />{{small|Horowitz, 1955}}
+||Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango, Morelos, Nuevo León, Puebla, and Veracruz)
 |-
-| ||[[Desert short-horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma ornatissimum'' {{small|(Girard, 1858)}} (disputed; may be conspecific with ''P. hernandesi'') || || Canada and the United States
+| [[File:Desert Short-horned Lizard, Valencia County, NM, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 99242699 (cropped).jpg|frameless|200x200px]]||[[Desert short-horned lizard]] || colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma ornatissimum'' <br />{{small|(Girard, 1858)}} <br />(disputed, may be conspecific with ''P. hernandesi'') || Canada and the United States
 |-
-|[[File:Desert Horned Lizard.jpg|120px]] ||[[Desert horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma platyrhinos'' {{small|Girard, 1852}} ||
+|[[File:Desert Horned Lizard, California City, CA, USA imported from iNaturalist photo 369890015 (rotated).jpg|200x200px]]||[[Desert horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma platyrhinos'' <br />{{small|Girard, 1852}} ||
-*Southern desert horned lizard, ''P. p. calidiarum'' {{small|(Cope, 1896)}}
+*Southern desert horned lizard, ''P.&nbsp;p. calidiarum'' <br />{{small|(Cope, 1896)}}
-*[[Northern desert horned lizard]], ''P. p. platyrhinos'' {{small|Girard, 1852}}
+*[[Northern desert horned lizard]], ''P.&nbsp;p. platyrhinos'' <br />{{small|Girard, 1852}}
 || southern Idaho in the north to northern Mexico
 |-
-| ||[[Guerreran horned lizard]] ||''Phrynosoma sherbrookei'' [[species:Adrián Nieto-Montes de Oca|Nieto-Montes de Oca]], [[species:Diego Miguel Arenas-Moreno|Arenas-Moreno]], [[species:Elizabeth Beltrán-Sánchez|Beltrán-Sánchez]] & [[species:Adam D. Leaché|Leaché]], 2014 || ||Mexico.
+| ||[[Guerreran horned lizard]] || colspan="2" |''Phrynosoma sherbrookei'' <br />{{small|[[species:Adrián Nieto-Montes de Oca|Nieto-Montes de Oca]], [[species:Diego Miguel Arenas-Moreno|Arenas-Moreno]], [[species:Elizabeth Beltrán-Sánchez|Beltrán-Sánchez]] & [[species:Adam D. Leaché|Leaché]], 2014}} ||Mexico
 |-
-|[[File:Horned lizard 032507 kdh.jpg|120px]] ||[[Regal horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma solare'' {{small|Gray, 1845}} || ||Arizona and Mexico
+|[[File:Phrynosoma solare 399512817 (rotated).jpg|200x200px]]||[[Regal horned lizard]] || colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma solare'' <br />{{small|Gray, 1845}} ||Arizona and Mexico
 |-
-|[[File:Mexican horned lizard, Phrynosoma taurus.jpg|120px]] ||[[Mexican horned lizard]] || ''Phrynosoma taurus'' {{small|[[Alfredo Dugès|Dugès]], 1873}} || ||Mexico (Guerrero and Puebla)
+|[[File:Phrynosoma taurus 234908236 (cropped).jpg|200x200px]]||[[Mexican horned lizard]] || colspan="2" | ''Phrynosoma taurus'' <br />{{small|[[Alfredo Dugès|Dugès]], 1873}} ||Mexico (Guerrero and Puebla)
 |-
 |}
@@ Line 104: / Line 137: @@
 ''Note'': In the above list, a [[Binomial nomenclature|binomial authority]] or [[Trinomen|trinomial authority]] in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than ''Phrynosoma''.
-[[File:Horned lizards.jpg|240px|thumb|Comparison of ''P. modestum'' and ''P. platyrhinos'']]
+== Gallery ==
+<gallery mode="packed" heights="100">
-== Horned lizard (''Phrynosoma'') gallery ==
-<gallery mode="packed" heights="100px">
 File:Coast Horned Lizard (9096387129).jpg|Blainville's horned lizard (''P. blainvillii)''
-File:Phrynosoma braconnieri.jpg|Short-tailed horned lizard (''P. braconnieri)'', Oaxaca, Mexico (20 May 2013).
+File:Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum), Armstrong County, Texas, USA (28 April 2013).jpg|Texas horned lizard (''P. cornutum''), Armstrong County, Texas, US (28 April 2013)
-File:Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum), Armstrong County, Texas, USA (28 April 2013).jpg|Texas horned lizard (''P. cornutum''), Armstrong County, Texas, USA (28 April 2013)
+File:HORNED LIZARD, COAST (phrynosoma coronatum) (6-14-08) cerro alto north ridge, slo co, ca -01 (2579107136).jpg|Coast horned lizard (''P. coronatum''), San Luis Obispo County, California, US (June 14, 2008)
-File:HORNED LIZARD, COAST (phrynosoma coronatum) (6-14-08) cerro alto north ridge, slo co, ca -01 (2579107136).jpg|Coast horned lizard (''P. coronatum''), San Luis Obispo County, California, USA (June 14, 2008)
 File:09-035 Horned Lizard (Phyrnosoma coronatum) (3481418737).jpg|Coast horned lizard (''P. coronatum'') (25 April 2009)
-File:Greater short-horned lizard on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (27558656089).jpg|Greater short-horned lizard (''P. douglassi brevirostre''), Sweetwater County, Wyoming, USA (15 June 2016).
+File:Greater short-horned lizard on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge (27558656089).jpg|Greater short-horned lizard (''P. douglassi brevirostre''), Sweetwater County, Wyoming, US (15 June 2016).
-File:Phrynosoma douglasii 4226.JPG|Pygmy short-horned lizard (''P. douglasii)'', Washington, USA (5 June 2014)
+File:Phrynosoma douglasii 4226.JPG|Pygmy short-horned lizard (''P. douglasii)'', Washington, US (5 June 2014)
-File:Mountain short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi), Culberson County, Texas, USA (19 May 2018).jpg|Mountain short-horned lizard (''P. hernandesi)'', Culberson County, Texas, USA (19 May 2018)
+File:Mountain short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi), Culberson County, Texas, USA (19 May 2018).jpg|Mountain short-horned lizard (''P. hernandesi)'', Culberson County, Texas, US (19 May 2018)
-File:Flat-Tailed Horned Lizard (5162160076).jpg|Flat-tailed horned lizard (''P. mcallii)'' (9 November 2010)
 File:Roundtail Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma modestum), Municipality of Tula, Tamaulipas, Mexico (15 August 2004).jpg|Round-tail horned lizard (''P. modestum''), Municipality of Tula, Tamaulipas, Mexico (15 August 2004)
 File:Mountain horned lizard (Phrynosoma orbiculare orientale), Municipality of Miquihuana, Tamaulipas, Mexico (24 September 2009).jpg|Mountain horned lizard (''P. orbiculare orientale''), Municipality of Miquihuana, Tamaulipas, Mexico (24 September 2009)
-File:Desert Horned Lizard in Mojave Desert.png|Desert horned lizard (''P. platyrhinos''), San Bernardino County, California, USA (9 July 2019)
+File:Desert Horned Lizard in Mojave Desert.png|Desert horned lizard (''P. platyrhinos''), San Bernardino County, California, US (9 July 2019)
-File:Horned lizard 032507 kdh.jpg|Regal horned lizard (''P. solare''), Apache Junction, Arizona, USA (25 March 2007)
 </gallery>

Horned lizard: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 23:57, 12 December 2025

Contents

Biology

Rain-harvesting

Defenses

Blood-squirting

Population decline

Species and subspecies

Gallery

Symbol

References

External links

Navigation menu

Horned lizard: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 23:57, 12 December 2025

Biology

Rain-harvesting

Defenses

Blood-squirting

Population decline

Species and subspecies

Gallery

Symbol

References

External links

Navigation menu

Search