Greater Short-Horned Lizard

Fascinating facts about the Greater Short-Horned Lizard

• It occupies the broadest range of any North American horned lizard, stretching from central Nevada across the Dakotas to southern Saskatchewan and Alberta, then down to eastern New Mexico and central Mexico. Its presence in such varied regions makes it the most widely distributed horned lizard on the continent.
• Wyoming hosts only a single species of Phrynosoma, the greater short-horned lizard, which the state has officially recognised as its reptile emblem. Because no other horned lizard occurs within the state's borders, the species enjoys a unique status, representing the entire genus for Wyoming's wildlife identity.
• The greater short-horned lizard is unusually tolerant of cold, regularly inhabiting sites from 900 feet up to 11,300 feet (170-3440 m) above sea level. This high-altitude preference allows it to occupy cooler mountain habitats that many other horned lizards avoid, such as juniper, pine, and fir forests.
• When a canid such as a fox or coyote attacks, the greater short-horned lizard can increase blood pressure behind its eyes and forcefully eject blood toward the predator. This sudden spray is enough to make the attacker lose interest, providing the lizard a chance to escape. The behaviour has been documented in this species but not in the closely related pygmy short-horned lizard, highlighting a unique defensive adaptation.
• The greater short-horned lizard gives birth to live young in midsummer, with each female producing between five and 48 offspring between July and September. Newborns measure about 24 mm in snout-to-vent length and weigh roughly one gram, emerging without horns but already capable of independent movement within a few hours. This rapid self-sufficiency allows the juveniles to begin foraging almost immediately after birth.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Greater Short-Horned Lizard

In the arid expanse of the North American west, the Greater Short-Horned Lizard emerges as a diminutive, yet formidable, denizen of the desert landscape, its mottled brown skin blending seamlessly with the rocky terrain as it scurries with deliberate intent. With a distinctive crown of horns and a flattened, spiky body, this tiny monarch navigates the scrubby underbrush with a quiet confidence, its beady eyes ever-vigilant for the insects and small invertebrates that sustain it. As it basks in the warm sunlight, its very presence seems a testament to the enduring resilience of life in this harsh, beautiful world.

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