Horned Toad, Head-on

Horned Toad, Head-on

Horned lizards are a genus (Phrynosoma) of lizards which are the type genus of the family Phrynosomatidae. The horned lizard is popularly called a "horned toad", "horny toad" or "horned frog", yet it is neither a toad nor a frog. The popular names come from the lizard's rounded body and blunt snout, which make it resemble a toad or frog. 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). Of 15 species of horned lizards in North America, eight are native to the United States. The largest-bodied and most widely distributed of the US species is the Texas horned lizard. Horned lizards are morphologically similar to the Australian thorny devil, but are only distantly related. They also have other similarities, such as being sit-and-wait predators and preying upon ants, so the two species are considered a great example of convergent evolution.

Creator: EPMH

Area: Northeast / Franklin Mountains

Source: EPMH

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Report this entry

Choose the most important reason for this report

Your name

Your email address

Optional detail

Thank you for your report

More from the same community-collection

Cliff Dwelling

Diorama at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology.

Rabit at the Moon

From Walking with our Ancestors Exhibit, El Paso Museum of ...

Franklin Mountains

Yellow poppies in front of the Franklin Mountains.

Sunrise Over the Franklin Mountains

Sunrise over the Franklin Mountains ---view from Upper Valley.

Prehistoric Hunter

Diorama at the El Paso Museum of Archaeology.

View of the Foothills of Franklin Mountains

View of the foothills of the Franklin Mountains from Chihuahuan ...

El Paso Archaeology Museum

Rest area and information plaque at the El Paso Archaeology ...

Poppy blooms

Poppies in the Franklin Mountains.

Poppies

Poppies blooming in the Franklin Mountains.

Franklin Mountains

Franklin Mountains in the background.

El Paso Archaeology Museum

Directional sign for the Poppy Trail at the El Paso Archaeology ...

Cactus flowers

Cactus blooming near the Archaeology Museum.

Franklin Mountains

Landscape near the Museum.

Youth Dancers

Youth dancers performing in the Franklin Mountains.

home.search_collection