In Honor of Horny Toads

     The Texas Horned Lizard, known humorously as the Horny Toad, is not a toad but a lizard. Nor is it a frog as is characterized by the Texas Christian University mascot, the Horned Frogs. Its scientific name is Phrynosoma cornutum. It looks like a little dinosaur with the spikes on its head and short barbs on its back but is a harmless and interesting animal. Unlike some of the other lizards of the Red Hills, this one does not lose its tail under attack. However, an interesting and unique defensive behavior is its ability to squirt blood from its eyes although this is rarely experienced by herpetologists. Another more commonly seen behavior is that when caught, the animal will puff up so as to appear larger in an effort to dissuade predators which may be convinced it is too large to try to force down a gullet. 

     This cold-blooded animal is one of the most enjoyable, wild hand pets for kids and adults. However, they are hard to keep for long periods since their wild diet consists mostly of ants. Many Kansas kids can enjoy these creatures as they occur in many areas of the state, particularly in the Smoky Hills, Flint Hills and our own Red Hills. Horny Toad populations have declined greatly in some parts of its range south of Kansas and it is on the Species In Need of Information list in this state. This simply means that it receives added attention for those studying its populations. We hope that this fascinating lizard will always be a part of the Kansas Outback and the other wild lands of this state. This post is not only about this lizard's general nature but also a report on a particular nesting success this summer near my home.

The Texas Horned Lizard is a common resident of the Red Hills as well as much of Kansas. 

This female lizard was observed
excavating a nest on June 26 of this year by my wife.
This offered a great opportunity for observation of the
success and number of eggs in this clutch.

Observed through about a 36 hour period, this mother
laid her eggs in the nest hole then covered it with sand
and gravel which can be seen immediately in front of her.

While this species is not known for nest guarding after laying eggs,
this female did hang around for about a day and a half. This pose
seems to suggest some added attention being given to the site for a
while after egg laying.

She was quite gaunt after her egg laying.

We decided to cage the area
to determine how many young would hatch. Clutch
sizes can vary from less than 10 to over 30. An average
is a couple dozen. Our nest was below average as
only 6 known young were known to emerge from
this nest over a period of about a week. After waiting
for over a week to give time for any more hatchlings,
the nest site was excavated to determine total number
of eggs and if any eggs or egg part remained. There 
was no more sign of any eggs.

The first nestling emerged from the dime-sized exit on August 24,
60 days following egg laying which is normal. Five more young
emerged over the following five days. These six nestlings were
well below the average of about 20 for this species. The day-
old nestlings were observed both staying very still as well as
running as fast as little legs could work once they were observed. 
This follows behavior of the adults as well.

Here are the tiny day-old lizards
compared to an older individual of probably
about a 1-2 months.

Exhibited is the normal behavior of

these lizards playing dead once turned

onto their back. Even the babies do it.

Another interesting first observation was

the ability of these lizards to swim. While

not that surprising, it is not a very common

opportunity to get to see these animals in a

situation where they may need to swim.