Texas horned lizard

This is an information sheet about the Texas horned lizard. It's not a care sheet because this desert horned lizard is on the endangered species list. Nonetheless the horny toad (as it's sometimes known) is a fascinating lizard to be observed in the wild. It's unfortunate that this horned lizard is on the endangered species list, as well as being extremely difficult to take care of, for it has one of the nicest dispositions of any lizard out there. They're incredibly friendly, not causing a fuss when picked up -even in the wild. They're probably a little too tame which could begin to explain why their numbers have gone dramatically down.

In the sixties the Texas horned lizard was an extremely popular pet, being sold to tourists in a lot more stores than just pet stores. When out of their natural habitat, and with little regard as to how to care for them, the horny toad began dying in rapid numbers.

This desert horned lizard needed the proper conditions (as all creatures do) to be able to survive; one of which was a diet consisting largely of harvester ants. It didn't help that pesticides were contributing to the demise of harvester ants in the wild, making it difficult for an uncaptured Texas horned lizard to thrive.

The construction of never ending roads also contributed to the horny toad's downfall. This horned lizard rather liked the Texas asphalt, as it held the sun's heat quite well, making it a tempting basking spot for a Texas horned lizard. The problem was that one of the instincts of the horny toad -when startled is to freeze in place, making them an easy target for cars and trucks. The horny toad can be found throughout Texas and in parts of Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico. Much of their day is spent either basking in the sun or burrowing in the sand or soil, both of which are done to self regulate the temperature of the lizard. Much like other lizards the horned lizard will brumate or hibernate starting in late summer and ending in late spring. During this time the horned lizard will slow down its metabolism to go for long periods of time without food or water.

The horny toad has several unique characteristics usually used for defense. One was mentioned above: that of freezing in place -which is done in hopes of camouflaging their body. Another, is that of inflating their body as to appear bigger. But the most interesting ability the Texas horned lizard has -is by far the strangest and most unique of probably any other known lizard. They can shoot blood from their eyes! In fact it has the ability to squirt one third of its volume of blood out of the pores of its eyes. It doesn't get much more unique than that.

Hopefully this lizard will regain its strength and numbers and possibly one day get off the endangered species list. Until then, observe, respect and admire them from afar in their natural habitat - the wild.