- Horned lizard
Taxobox
name = Horned Lizards
image_caption =Short-horned Lizard
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Sauropsida
ordo =Squamata
familia =Phrynosomatidae
genus = "Phrynosoma"
genus_authority = Wiegmann, 1828
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = See text.Horned lizards ("Phrynosoma") are a genus of the
Phrynosomatidae family oflizard s. The horned lizard is popularly called a "horned toad," "horny toad", or "horned frog," but it is neither atoad nor afrog . The popular names come from the lizard's rounded body and blunt snout, which make it resemble a toad or frog. ("Phrynosoma" literally means "toad-bodied.") The spines on its back and sides are made from modified scales, whereas the horns on the heads are true horns (i.e. they have a "horny" core). There are 14 species of horned lizards inNorth America , 8 of which are native to theUnited States . The largest-bodied and most widely distributed of the U.S. species is theTexas horned lizard ("P. cornutum").Description
Horned lizards are morphologically similar to the
Australia nthorny devil ("Moloch horridus"), but are only distantly related. They also have other unique similarities, such as being sit-and-wait predators and preying uponant s, and so the two species are considered a great example ofconvergent evolution .Protection against predation
Horned lizards use a wide variety of means to avoid
predation . Their coloration generally serves ascamouflage . When threatened, their first defense is to remain still and hope 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 body to cause it to look more horny, making it appear larger and more difficult to swallow. At least four species are also able to squirt an aimed stream ofblood from the corners of the eyes for a distance of up to 3 feet. They do this by restricting the blood flow leaving the head, thereby increasing blood pressure and rupturing tiny vessels around theeyelid s. This not only confuses predators, but also the blood tastes foul tocanine andfeline predators. It appears to have no effect against predatorybird s. To avoid being picked up by the head or neck, horned lizards duck or elevate their head and orient their 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 that the predator cannot easily get its lower jaw underneath the lizard.Diet and decline
The diet of most horned lizards species varies from 60-90% harvester ant of the genus "
Pogonomyrmex ", though they are opportunistic and supplement these withtermite s,beetle s,cricket s,grasshopper s and other smallinsect s.In
California ,Texas , and other states, horned lizards are considered threatened and given state protection, though none are on the federal endangered species list. TheTexas horned lizard has declined in about 30% of its range, though there is some indication it may be making a comeback. Some California species are also in decline. The decline is usually blamed on development/destruction of habitat, the spread of non-nativeSouth America n ants which compete and war with the harvester ant, and the overuse ofpesticide s which kill harvester ants. In California, the introduced species is theArgentine ant . [cite news | url=http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/02/020227071151.htm | title=Proliferation Of Argentine Ants In California Linked To Decline In Coastal Horned Lizards | date=Mar. 5, 2002 | publisher=Science Daily ] In Texas, it is the Argentine ant and theBrazil ianfire ant . Both species are highly aggressive and fiercely territorial, and prey on harvester ant queens, destroying the horned lizard's principal source of food!!In culture
Some Native American peoples regarded horned lizards as sacred. The animal is a common motif in the art of many Native Americans in the Southwestern U.S. (namely, Navajo) and in
Mexico . In theClint Eastwood film "The Outlaw Josey Wales ", the character played byChief Dan George decides to go toMexico based on signs given him by a horned toad.The horned lizard is the state
reptile of bothTexas andWyoming , and as the "horned frog," is the mascot ofTexas Christian University (TCU).The horned toad is also the mascot of
Coalinga High School inCoalinga, California . The town also holds an annual "Horned Toad Derby".Species and subspecies
*
Giant Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma asio " (Cope, 1864)
*Short-tailed Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma braconnieri " (Duméril, 1870)
*Cedros Island Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma cerroense " (Stejneger, 1893)
*Texas Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma cornutum " (Harlan, 1825)
*Coast Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma coronatum " :*Cape Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma coronatum coronatum " (Blainville, 1835):*San Diego Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma coronatum blainvillii " (Gray, 1839):*California Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma coronatum frontale " (Van Denburgh, 1894):*Central Peninsular Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma coronatum jamesi " (Schmidt, 1922):*Northern Peninsular Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma coronatum schmidti " (Barbour, 1921)
*Rock Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma ditmarsi " (Stejneger, 1906)
*Short-horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma douglassii ":* "Phrynosoma douglassi brachycercum " (Smith, 1942):* "Phrynosoma douglasii douglasii " (Bell, 1828)
*Mountain Short-horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma hernandesi " (Girard, 1858)
*Flat-tail Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma mcallii " (Hallowell, 1852)
*Roundtail Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma modestum " (Girard, 1852)
*Mexican Plateau Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma orbiculare " :* "Phrynosoma orbiculare boucardii " (Duméril & Bocourt, 1870):* "Phrynosoma orbiculare bradti " (Horowitz, 1955):* "Phrynosoma orbiculare orbiculare " (Linnaeus, 1789):* "Phrynosoma orbiculare orinetale " (Horowitz, 1955):* "Phrynosoma orbiculare cortezii " (Duméril & Bocourt, 1870):* "Phrynosoma orbiculare dugesii " (Duméril & Bocourt, 1870)
*Desert Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma platyrhinos ":*Southern Desert Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum " (Cope, 1896):*Northern Desert Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma platyrhinos platyrhinos " (Girard, 1852):*Sonoran Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma platyrhinos goodei " (Stejneger, 1893)
*Regal Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma solare " (Gray, 1845)
*Mexican Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma taurus " (Dugés, 1873)
*Gulf Coast Horned Lizard , "Phrynosoma wigginsi " (Montanucci, 2004)Notes
External links
* [http://www.digimorph.org/resources/horned.phtml Horned lizard skulls and info at Digimorph.org]
* [http://www.hornedlizards.org/ Horned Lizard Conservation Society]
* [http://www.phrynosoma.org/ Phrynosoma.Org: HL Species, Husbandry, and Conservation Info]
* [http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~varanus/phryno.html Horned Lizards]
* [http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/science/mclizard.htm Argentine ants linked to declines in coastal horned lizards]
* [http://www.admissions.tcu.edu/funstuff/horned_frog.asp Texas Christian University mascot: What's a Horned Frog?]
* [http://depts.washington.edu/natmap/projects/waterville/ Horny Toads - Field study of Short-horned Lizards by students of Waterville Elementary School]
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