Horned Lizard
Click here to go to Introduction
Click here to go to Habitat
Click here to go to Diet
Click here to go to Special Features
Click here to go to Appearance
Click here to go to Endangered
Click here to go to Character Traits
Click here to go to Sources
Click here to go to Sources for Pictures
Click here to go to Quiz
The horned lizard belongs to the Phrynosomatidae family of lizards.
They can be found in U.s, Mexico, Canada, and Guatemala. They are
mainly found in the U.s. There are 14 species Horned lizards and 8
species can be found the U.S.
©
"Short-horned Lizard"
Horned lizards live in deserts and rocky sites in oak and oak-pine
woodlands. Many live in desert states in America such as Texas and Arizona.
A horned lizard's diet is similar to an ant eater's diet. 90% of its diet are harvester ants. It would eat over 200 ants a day. Some other diet includes:
- termites
- beetles
- grasshoppers
A horned lizard has many special and unique features. One interesting feature of the horned lizard is that it's color can serve as a camouflage. Its body can blend with its rocky and desert environments.
©
"Camouflage of horned lizard in a rocky and desert terrain"
Another interesting feature of the horned lizard is that it puffs up its body to avoid predators. The horned lizard expands an looks very spickey. Its predators think it is too difficult to eat.
The most coolest and unique feature of the horned lizard is that it could shoot blood out of its eye up to 5-feet to confuse its predators. Only 4 species of horned lizards can do this.
©
"A horned lizard shooting blood from its eye"
The appearance of the horned lizard may vary. That is because there are so many types of horned lizards. There are 14 species of horned lizards and they are called:
- Phrynosoma asio, Long Spined Horned Lizard
- Phrynosoma boucardi
- Phrynosoma braconnieri
- Phrynosoma cornutum: Texas horned lizard
- Phrynosoma coronatum: Coast horned lizard
- Phrynosoma ditmarsi: Rock horned lizard
- Phrynosoma douglasi: Pygmy Short-Horned Lizard
- Phrynosoma hernandezi: Short-horned lizard
- Phrynosoma mcallii: Flat-tailed horned lizard
- Phrynosoma modestum: Round-tailed horned lizard
- Phrynosoma orbiculare: Chihuahua desert horned lizard
- Phrynosoma platyrhinos: Desert horned lizard
- Phrynosoma solare: Regal horned lizard
- Phrynosoma taurus
The type of horned is distinguished by the shape of their horn, the shape of their tail and the scales on their back. Every horned lizard has its own unique and different physical features. The features of a horned lizard can name some species. The horned lizard has a toad like body.
The unfortunate thing for horned lizards is their endangered. As you know the main diet of horned lizards consists of harvester ants. However their has been a decline in their food. The cause for this is the overuse of pesticides and insectisides and the invasion of fire red ants.
Horned lizards do not eat fire red ants and fire red ants are tough competitors to the harvester ants in finding food. Thus, the harvester ant population is declining. This leads to a food chain problem causing scarcity of food for horned lizards.
So the horned lizard population is continuing to shrink. However some state laws are helping to protect horned lizards from extinction.
I think the horned lizard has a very cautious characteristic because they expand their body or blend themselves with the terrain around them to protect themselves from predators. They also detect predators from far away and try to make a plan to avoid predators. For example by shooting blood from its eyes ahead of time to confuse and avoid predators.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_lizard
Wikipedia contributors. "Horned lizard." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 8 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 Apr. 2011.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_horned_lizard
Wikipedia contributors. "Texas horned lizard." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 10 Mar. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2011
http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~varanus/phryno.html
Pianka, Eric , and Hodges, Wendy . "Horned Lizards." Horned Lizards. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2011.
http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~varanus/phryno2.html
Eric, Pianka , and Wendy Hodges. "Horned Lizards, Part 2." Horned Lizards, Part 2. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2011.
1st Picture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Short_Horned_Lizard.jpg
"Short Horned Lizard." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Web. 3 May 2011.
2nd Picture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Horned_lizard_defense.JPG
"Horned lizard defense." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Web. 3 May 2011.
3rd Picture
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/BlairCase/lizard-shoots-blood-out-o_n_773702_67012863.html
"Lizard Shoots Blood Out Of Its Eye As Defence Mechanism." Huffpost Green . Web. 3 May 2011.
For more information please contact me to harkirat_johal99@hotmail.com