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See text. The Short-horned Lizard is a small Lizard that occurs in North America. Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers Squamata (scaled reptiles is the largest recent order of Reptiles including Lizards and Snakes Members of the order are distinguished by Phrynosomatidae is a diverse family of Lizards found from Panama to the extreme south of Canada. Arend Friedrich August Wiegmann ( June 2, 1802 - January 15, 1841) was a German zoologist. |
Horned lizards (Phrynosoma) are a genus of the Phrynosomatidae family of lizards. Phrynosomatidae is a diverse family of Lizards found from Panama to the extreme south of Canada. Lizards are a large and widespread group of Reptiles of the order Squamata, with nearly 5000 species and ranging across all continents except The horned lizard is popularly called a "horned toad," "horny toad", or "horned frog," but it is neither a toad nor a frog. A toad can refer to a number of Species of Amphibians in the order Anura. This article is about the block cipher algorithm For the ultrafast laser pulse measurement technique see Frequency-resolved optical gating. 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 bony core). There are 14 species of horned lizards in North America, 8 of which are native to the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The largest-bodied and most widely distributed of the U. S. species is the Texas horned lizard (P. The Texas horned lizard ( Phrynosoma cornutum) is one of 14 North American species of spikey-bodied Reptiles called Horned lizards The Texas species cornutum).
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Description
Horned lizards are morphologically similar to the Australian thorny devil ({{}}Moloch horridus), but are only distantly related. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. The Thorny Devil ( Moloch horridus) is an Australian lizard It is also known as the Thorny Dragon, Thorny Lizard, or the Moloch and is the They also have other unique similarities, such as being sit-and-wait predators and preying upon ants, and so the two species are considered a great example of convergent evolution. Ants are social Insects of the family Formicidae and along with the related families of Wasps and Bees belong to the order Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages
Protection against predation
Horned lizards use a wide variety of means to avoid predation. Their coloration generally serves as camouflage. Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible Organism 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 of blood from the corners of the eyes for a distance of up to 3 feet. Blood is a specialized Bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells €”such as nutrients and oxygen—and transports Waste products They do this by restricting the blood flow leaving the head, thereby increasing blood pressure and rupturing tiny vessels around the eyelids. An eyelid is a thin fold of skin that covers and protects an Eye. This not only confuses predators, but also the blood tastes foul to canine and feline predators. It appears to have no effect against predatory birds. Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. 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 with termites, beetles, grasshoppers and other small insects. The red harvester ant ( Pogonomyrmex barbatus) is a large (5 mm - 7 mm Ant common in the southwest United States. Pogonomyrmex is a Genus of harvester Ants occurring primarily in the deserts of North and South America. The termites are a group of Social Insects usually classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera (but see also taxonomy Beetles are the group of Insects with the largest number of known Species. Grasshoppers are Insects of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described
In California, Texas, and other states, horned lizards are considered threatened and given state protection, though none are on the federal endangered species list. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The Texas horned lizard has declined in about 30% of its range, though there is some indication it may be making a comeback. The Texas horned lizard ( Phrynosoma cornutum) is one of 14 North American species of spikey-bodied Reptiles called Horned lizards The Texas species Some California species are also in decline. The decline is usually blamed on development/destruction of habitat, the spread of non-native South American ants which compete and war with the harvester ant, and the overuse of pesticides which kill harvester ants. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a A pesticide is a substance or mixture of substances used to kill a pest. In California, the introduced species is the Argentine ant. The Argentine ant ( Linepithema humile, formerly Iridomyrmex humilis) is a tiny dark Ant native to northern Argentina, Uruguay In Texas, it is the Argentine ant and the Brazilian fire ant. |utc_offset = -2 to -4 |time_zone_DST = BRST |utc_offset_DST = -2 to -5 |cctld Fire ants, (referred to as red ants in the UK) are stinging Ants with over 280 species worldwide 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. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States The animal is a common motif in the art of many Native Americans in the Southwestern U. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States S. and in Mexico. The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America. In the Clint Eastwood film The Outlaw Josey Wales, the character played by Chief Dan George decides to go to Mexico based on signs given him by a horned toad. Clinton "Clint" Eastwood Jr (born May 31 1930 is a four-time Academy Award winning American Actor and Filmmaker. The Outlaw Josey Wales is a 1976 revisionist Western movie set at the end of the American Civil War directed Chief Dan George, OC ( July 24, 1899 &ndash September 23, 1981) was a chief of the Tsleil-Waututh, a Salish The United Mexican States ( or commonly Mexico (ˈmɛksɪkoʊ () is a federal constitutional Republic in North America.
The horned lizard is the state reptile of both Texas and Wyoming, and as the "horned frog," is the mascot of Texas Christian University (TCU). Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The State of Wyoming ( is a sparsely populated state in the western region of the United States. Texas Christian University is a private, Coeducational University located in Fort Worth, Texas.
Species
- 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)
- Mountain Short-horned Lizard, Phrynosoma hernandesi (Girard, 1858)
- Flat-tail Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma mcallii (Hallowell, 1852)
- Roundtail Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma modestum (Girard, 1852)
- 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)
- Regal Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma solare (Gray, 1845)
- Mexican Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma taurus (Dugés, 1873)
- Gulf Coast Horned Lizard, Phrynosoma wigginsi (Montanucci, 2004)
External links
- Horned lizard skulls and info at Digimorph.org
- Horned Lizard Conservation Society
- Phrynosoma.Org: HL Species, Husbandry, and Conservation Info
- Horned Lizards
- Argentine ants linked to declines in coastal horned lizards
- Texas Christian University mascot: What's a Horned Frog?
- Horny Toads - Field study of Short-horned Lizards by students of Waterville Elementary School
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