One of the 15 lizards on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Phrynosomatidae
Texas Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma cornutum
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
It can shoot blood from its eyes as an extreme defence against predators, squirting the fluid under pressure as far as 1.5 metres.
Size
9 cm – 13 cm
Lifespan
5 years
Diet
Insectivore
Feeds mainly on insects and other invertebrates.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- It eats almost nothing but harvester ants, supplemented with termites and other insects.
- Its decline is closely tied to the loss of native harvester ants, displaced by the invasive fire ant.
- It lives in arid and semi-arid sandy country of the south-western United States and northern Mexico.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (reptile)
- Habitat & environment
- Arid and semi-arid sandy country of the south-western United States and northern Mexico
- Birth weight
- The newly hatched young a little over 2.5 cm long
- Size at birth
- A little over 2.5 cm long on hatching
- Sexual maturity
- 2 years
- Gestation / incubation
- 40-61 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 13 to 45 eggs per clutch
Sources consulted: Animal-pedia.org; Animalia.bio; Herps of NC; EBSCO Research Starters; Animal Diversity Web; bioRxiv (latitudinal life history study); Great Plains Natural Science Society
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: From April to September, in mid-morning, on sandy ground with harvester ant colonies.
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 15 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Texas Horned Lizard — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Eastern Fence Lizard
Sceloporus undulatus
Desert Night Lizard
Xantusia vigilis
Common Desert Iguana
Dipsosaurus dorsalis
Turkish Gecko
Hemidactylus turcicus
California Kingsnake
Lampropeltis californiae
Common Chuckwalla
Sauromalus ater
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