Coast Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum)

Morphology: Colors include yellow, brown, reddish, and/or grey. The bases of the two rear head horns are separated. They have two to three rows of enlarged scales on each side of the throat, and two rows of pointed fringe scales on both sides of their body. There are wavy dark blotches down the back, and no stripes on the face. Their sizes range from 6.3-11.4cm.

Behavior: P. coronatum can squirt blood from their eye sinuses. They hide under low shrubs or bury themselves in loose soil. They also bask frequently.

Breeding: P. coronatum are oviparous, laying 6-49 or 24-29 eggs per clutch between April and July.

Habitat: Scrubland, grassland, coniferous forests, and broadleaf woodland. Also Sonoran Desert and coastal sage habitats, and arid tropical scrub.

Diet: Mostly ants, sometimes termites, beetles, wasps, flies, and grasshoppers.

Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma solare)

Morphology: Colors include light grey, beige, and/or reddish. Light middorsal stripe sometimes present. They are the largest of the Phrynosoma, ranging from 7.6-11.7cm.There are 4 large horns at the back of the head, and one row of fringe scales on both sides of the body.

Behavior: P. solare can squirt blood from their eye sinuses. They are not usually found in the same area as other Phrynosoma, possibly due to competition. They spend much of their time near scrubby plants growing along washes in rocky canyons and plains.

Breeding: P. solare are oviparous, laying 7-33 eggs between July and August.

Habitat: Relatively dry plains, hills, and mountain bases with rocks and gravel. Vegetation present often includes cactus, mesquite, and creosote bush.

Diet: Mainly ants.

Flat-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma mcallii)

Morphology: Colors include light grey, buff, rusty brown, beige, and/or whitish. They have a dark middorsal stripe, unlike any other Phrynosoma. The tail is long wide and extremely flat. The horns are thin and long, and there are two rows of fringe scales on both sides of the body. Their bellies are solid white. Their sizes range from 6.3-8.6cm.

Behavior: P. mcallii have lost the ability to squirt blood from their eyes. When they feel threatened, they have a variety of alternate defense mechanisms. They may remain still, relying on their camouflage to keep them hidden, or hide in rodent burrows. Or they bury themselves by shimmying their bodies in loose soil or sand.

Breeding: P. mcallii are oviparous, laying 3-10 eggs per clutch between May and June. They can lay one or two clutches per year.

Habitat: Desert flats with gravel or hardpan, and patches of fine sand. Vegetation often present includes creosote bush, indigo brush, burro-weed, bur-sage, and/or big galleta.

Diet: Mainly ants (primarily harvester ants), and some other insects.

Greater Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi)

Morphology: Colors include beige, grey, brown, reddish, and/or tan, with dark brown splotches (two at the back of the neck) and often whitish speckles. Their horns are short, with one row of fringe scales on the sides of the body and no enlarged throat scales. Their sizes range from 4.4-12.4cm.

Behavior: P. hernandesi can squirt blood from their eye sinuses. They can handle colder temperatures than other Phrynosoma, except for P. douglasii. Females are generally larger than males, who stop growing after their first year while females keep growing. They rely heavily on crypsis, remaining still against a background very similar to their own coloration. This makes them extremely difficult to see, even for humans who are specifically looking for them. In the winter P. hernandesi burrow 7-10cm into the ground to hibernate. Compared to the males, females have small home ranges and return to them annually while males tend to disperse more.

Breeding: P. hernandesi are viviparous, bearing 5-48 young between July and September.

Habitat: Mountains to plains: shortgrass prairies, sagebrush, and conifer forests. Soil types include sand, rocks or compact earth, usually with loose soil present.

Diet: Ants, termites, grasshoppers, beetles, wasps, caterpillars, hemiptera, spiders, and snails.

Pigmy Short-horned Lizard (Phrynosoma douglasii)

Morphology: Colors include whitish, pale grey, reddish brown, tan, and/or almost black. There are two rows of dark blotches lined with white or light yellow. Horns are very short, and there is a single row of fringe scales on the sides of the body. Their sizes range from 3.2-6.3cm.

Behavior: P. douglasii can squirt blood from their eye sinuses. They are more adapted to cold than other Phrynosoma, so their habitats can extend farther to the north. P. douglasii often hide by burying themselves in loose soil. They do this by wriggling their bodies from side to side, which pushes the soil out from under them until they are covered.

Breeding: P. douglasii are viviparous, bearing 3-15 young between July and September.

Habitat: Sagebrush, bunch grass, juniper woodlands, and open pine forests. Soil can be rocky, sandy, or hardpan with loose substrate usually present.

Diet: Ants, with a few other insects and larvae.

Round-tailed Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma modestum)

Morphology: Instead of the characteristic spikes of most phrynosoma, the coloration and texture of P. modestum skin is very rock-like. This is much more effective as a cryptic morphology in rocky areas than the more typical phrynosoma coloration, which is better for blending into sandy environments. Colors include ash white, grey, light brown, and/or reddish. The horns on the head are relatively short, and the tail in round and thin with a thicker base and distinct barring. Fringe scales on the sides of the body are absent. Their sizes range from 3.8-7.1cm.

Behavior: P. modestum have lost their ability to squirt blood from their eyes. These lizards have a very interesting behavior: when they feel threatened they hunch down, close their eyes, and remain very still. This makes them look similar to a rock, which makes it easy to overlook them.

Breeding: P. modestum are oviparous, laying 6-19 eggs between May and July.

Habitat: Gravelly or rocky planes plains, desert flats, and hill slopes. Vegetation often includes cedar, ocotillo, oak, mesquite, creosote bush, sumac, juniper, and ponderosa pine.

Diet: Ants, termites, caterpillars, beetles, and other insects.

Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos)

Morphology: Colors include beige, brown, tan, reddish, grey, and/or black with wavy dark blotches down the back. They have blunt noses and short spines. They have one row of slightly enlarged scales on the sides of the throat, and one row of fringe scales on both sides of the body. Their sizes range from 6.7-9.5cm.

Behavior: P. platyrhinos have lost their ability to squirt blood from their eyes. They bask along roads, rocks, and road-banks.

Breeding: P. platyrhinos are oviparous, laying 2-16 eggs per clutch between May and July (maybe August). They sometimes lay two clutches.

Habitat: Sandy flats, alluvial fans, and edges of dunes (all arid). Sand is almost always present.

Diet: Ants, caterpillars, beetles, spiders, and some berries/plant matter.