| Regal horned lizard | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Phrynosomatidae |
| Genus: | Phrynosoma |
| Species: | P. solare |
| Binomial name | |
| Phrynosoma solare | |
The regal horned lizard (Phrynosoma solare) is a horned lizard species native to Mexico and the Southwest United States. [3]
The regal horned lizard is a small, flat lizard about the size of the palm of a human's hand. It has spikes all around the lateral surface of its body. It is 3–4 in (117 mm) in length from nose to tail as a full adult, and pale grey to yellow-brown or reddish in color, topped with dark blotches alongside the body and back. Its four legs each have five toes with a claw on each toe. The species is a slow runner that uses camouflage to escape predators. [4]
This lizard can be found across southeastern Arizona and along the transition of the southern zone of the central mountains region. [5]
This horned lizard occupies primarily level or gently sloping terrain with openly spaced desert vegetation such as mesquite, creosote bush, and saguaro cactus. [3] It can be found primarily in a hot and dry climate where the ground may be covered in limestone dust. [6] It is found in the Sonoran Desert Mountains is where it prefers its climate, but can be found in Texas, southern California, Arizona, and New Mexico. [7] It has been shown to have a relatively small home range of roughly 160 yards (146 meters). [8]
Their diet consists almost exclusively of harvester ants and can eat 2500 ants in one meal. [9] They are slow eaters because they spend most of their time in the intense heat of the desert during meals. They have been observed consuming some other insects and spiders. [10]
Adult regal horned lizards are active year round however, they are most active from April to September during the hours of 6:00 and 9:00 AM. [11] During winter, their activity is usually restricted to unseasonably warm days. They may hibernate late September through October. They tend to be sedentary creatures which is reflected in their morphology (often displaying matching color patterns to their environment as camouflage). This is also reflected in their limited home range. [12] The regal horned lizard will often bask in the sun with only its head poking out of the sand in order to heat blood located within a chamber inside the head. When the blood is warm enough, the lizard opens a valve in its neck and circulates the blood around the body. It derives shelter and builds nests through digging holes in the ground. They seem to be very protective of these nests as one study observed a female placing herself between the hole and the researcher. [13] Typically they remain still above ground until temperatures reach above 52.2°C. Regal horned lizards generally stay in an open habitat with access to burrows to avoid predators and high temperatures. Though they have spikes all around their body, their main defense when coming in contact with predators is the ability to squirt blood from their eyes. When they are threatened or captured, they may exhibit this blood squirting behavior. This blood may have a taste used to deter predators. They typically only resort to this if camouflage and intimidation do not work. When it squirts out blood, it aims for the predator's mouth and eyes. This stream can range up to 4 feet and may be repeated several times. The stream comes out through its lower eyelids' pores. Some other defensive behaviors include gulping air and poking with the horns. [10]
Regal horned lizards are oviparous and reproduce via sexual reproduction (specifically internal fertilization). Females tend to be ovulating in July and August. Males tend to exhibit enlarged reproductive organs (testes, vasa deferentia, and hemipenes) when in preparation for mating. Males were shown to have exhibited these enlargements from June to August. Females lay eggs in the generally time range of June to August. [14] A range of 7–30 eggs are laid per clutch and females typically lay only one clutch annually. The eggs are laid in nests which are semicircular tunnels dug at an angle, allowing the nest to be shaded for longer periods of the day. Typically they nest in moist fine silt or sand. [15] The egg shells are white and flexible and average about one-half inch in diameter. The hatchlings receive no parental care upon hatching and immediately bury themselves in the sand. They are now responsible for finding and hunting for their own food. Several diverting tactics are used to attract a mate, such as head bopping, push-ups, and nodding of the head. [16]
Lizard is the common name used for all squamate reptiles other than snakes, encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The grouping is paraphyletic as some lizards are more closely related to snakes than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon.
Earless lizards are two genera of small lizards native to the semiarid and grassland habitats of the Southwestern United States and Mexico. The genus Cophosaurus and the genus Holbrookia are both characterized by having no external ear openings, presumably to prevent sand from entering their bodies as they dig.
Phrynosoma, whose members are known as the horned lizards, horny toads, or horntoads, is a genus of North American lizards and the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. Their common names refer directly to their horns or to their flattened, rounded bodies, and blunt snouts.
The greater short-horned lizard, also commonly known as the mountain short-horned lizard or Hernández's short-horned lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is endemic to western North America. Like other horned lizards, it is often called a "horned toad" or "horny toad", but it is not a toad at all. It is a reptile, not an amphibian. It is one of seven native species of lizards in Canada.
The thorny devil, also known commonly as the mountain devil, thorny lizard, thorny dragon, and moloch, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Australia. It is the sole species in the genus Moloch. It grows up to 21 cm (8.3 in) in total length, with females generally larger than males.
Anti-predator adaptations are mechanisms developed through evolution that assist prey organisms in their constant struggle against predators. Throughout the animal kingdom, adaptations have evolved for every stage of this struggle, namely by avoiding detection, warding off attack, fighting back, or escaping when caught.
The Texas horned lizard is one of about 21 North American species of spikey-bodied reptiles called horned lizards, all belonging the genus Phrynosoma. It occurs in south-central regions of the US and northeastern Mexico, as well as several isolated introduced records and populations from Southern United States. Though some populations are stable, severe population declines have occurred in many areas of Texas and Oklahoma. The Texas spiny lizard may be confused for a Texas horned lizard due to its appearance and overlapping habitat. Because the Texas horned lizard is listed as a threatened species in the state, it is illegal to pick up, touch, or possess them in Texas.
The desert horned lizard is a species of phrynosomatid lizard native to western North America. They are often referred to as "horny toads", although they are not toads, but lizards.
The western whiptail is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae. The species is found throughout most of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Most of its populations appear stable, and it is not listed as endangered in any of the states comprising its range. It lives in a wide variety of habitats, including deserts and semiarid shrubland, usually in areas with sparse vegetation; it also may be found in woodland, open dry forest, and riparian growth. It lives in burrows. Major differences between this species and the checkered whiptail include the lack of enlarged scales anterior to the gular fold and the presence of enlarged postantebrachial scales. It was previously known as Cnemidophorus tigris, until phylogenetic analyses concluded that the genus Cnemidophorus was polyphyletic. Since it does not migrate, a number of forms have developed in different regions, several of which have been given subspecific names – for example the California whiptail, Aspidoscelis tigris munda.
The coast horned lizard is a species of phrynosomatid lizard endemic to Baja California Sur in Mexico. As a defense the lizard can shoot high pressure streams of blood out of its eyes if threatened.
Sceloporus magister, also known as the desert spiny lizard, is a lizard species of the family Phrynosomatidae, native to the Chihuahuan Desert and Sonoran Desert of North America.
The flat-tail horned lizard is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. A species of reptile, it is endemic to the Sonoran desert of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Its multiple adaptations for camouflage help to minimize its shadow. The species is threatened, with a restricted range under pressure from human activities such as agriculture and development, and is specially protected in the United States.
The roundtail horned lizard is one of the smaller species of horned lizard. Their specific epithet is from the Latin word modestum, meaning modest or calm. They are found in the United States, in western Texas, New Mexico eastern Arizona, southeastern Colorado and eight states in northcentral Mexico where they are referred to as "tapayaxtin".
Urosaurus ornatus, commonly known as the ornate tree lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. The species, which was formerly called simply the "tree lizard", has been used to study physiological changes during the fight-or-flight response as related to stress and aggressive competition. Its life history and costs of reproduction have been documented in field populations in New Mexico and Arizona. This species has been fairly well studied because of its interesting variation in throat color in males that can correlate with different reproductive strategies,
The six-lined racerunner is a species of lizard native to the United States and Mexico.
The Mojave fringe-toed lizard is a species of medium-sized, white or grayish, black-spotted diurnal lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. It is adapted to arid climates and is most commonly found in sand dunes within the Mojave Desert. Fringe-toed lizards are characterized by their fringed scales on their hind toes which make locomotion in loose sand possible.
Autohaemorrhaging, or reflex bleeding, is the action of animals deliberately ejecting blood from their bodies. Autohaemorrhaging has been observed as occurring in two variations. In the first form, blood is squirted toward a predator. The blood of these animals usually contains toxic compounds, making the behaviour an effective chemical defence mechanism. In the second form, blood is not squirted, but is slowly emitted from the animal's body. This form appears to serve a deterrent effect, and is used by animals whose blood does not seem to be toxic. Most animals that autohaemorrhage are insects, but some reptiles also display this behaviour.
The pygmy short-horned lizard is a species of small horned lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to the northwestern United States and adjacent southwestern Canada. Like other horned lizards, it is often called a "horned toad" or "horny toad," but it is not a toad at all. It is a reptile, not an amphibian.
The San Diego horned lizard or Blainville's horned lizard is a species of phrynosomatid lizard native to southern and central California in the United States and northern Baja California in Mexico.
The Sonoran horned lizard, also known commonly as Goode's desert horned lizard and el camaleón de Sonora in Mexican Spanish, is a species of horned lizard in the family Phrynosomatidae. The species is native to Arizona in the United States and to Sonora in Mexico.
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