Greater Short-horned Lizard

Phrynosoma hernandesi

The Greater Short-horned Lizard is a small, spiky lizard that loves to bask in the sun. It can change colors to blend in with its surroundings, making it a great little hide-and-seek player in the wild!

Lebensraum: Desert

Aussehen

The Greater Short-horned Lizard is a flat-bodied reptile with a spiky appearance, featuring a row of short, horn-like spines on its head. Its skin is typically mottled brown, grey, or tan, often with darker blotches, providing excellent camouflage against rocky or sandy ground.

ReichAnimaliaStammChordataKlasseSquamataOrdnungLacertiliaFamiliePhrynosomatidaeGattungPhrynosoma

Greater Short-horned Lizard

Kategorie

Reptilien

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Its 'horns' are actually modified scales, not true horns like on a bull.

They can survive freezing temperatures by burying themselves in the soil!

They use a special glue-like substance on their tongue to catch ants!

Unlike most lizards, this species gives birth to live babies, not eggs!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Greater Short-horned Lizards can squirt a stream of blood from their eyes that helps them scare away predators like coyotes.

Greater Short-horned Lizards have sharp, bony spines all over their body that helps them become a prickly, tough meal for predators.

Greater Short-horned Lizards have mottled skin colors and a flat body that helps them blend perfectly into their surroundings.

Maße und Details

Länge: 7-15 cm
Gewicht: 0.015-0.07 kg
Lebenserwartung: 5-8 Jahre
Top Speed: 1.5 km/h

Ernährung und Fütterung

Tiny hunters, they mainly feast on ants, gulping them down with their specialized tongue!

Hauptnahrung

Ants
Termites
Small Beetles
Spiders

Nahrungssuche

Ambush

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

eaten by

Western Harvester Ant

Pogonomyrmex occidentalis

A main food source, caught with a sticky tongue.

eaten by

Silky Ant

Formica fusca

Common ant species preyed upon by the lizard.

hunts

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

A common avian predator hunting from the sky.

hunts

Coyote

Canis latrans

Mammalian predator that hunts them on the ground.

hunts

Gopher Snake

Pituophis catenifer

A snake known to prey on small lizards.

Merkmale

Einzelgänger

Einzelgänger leben den größten Teil ihres Lebens allein und interagieren mit Artgenossen nur zur Paarung oder zur Aufzucht der Jungen.

Getarnt

Getarnt beschreibt Organismen, die über eine Färbung oder Musterung verfügen, durch die sie mit ihrer Umgebung verschmelzen.

Insektenfressend

Dieses Merkmal kennzeichnet Organismen, deren Nahrung hauptsächlich aus Insekten und anderen kleinen Wirbellosen besteht.

Wüste

Wüstenlebensräume sind trockene Regionen, die durch extrem geringen Niederschlag und oft extreme Temperaturen gekennzeichnet sind und eine spezialisierte Flora und Fauna beherbergen.