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Adult, 5,600 ft. Siskiyou County |
Adult, Siskiyou County |
Adult, Siskiyou County |
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Adult, Siskiyou County |
Adult, Siskiyou County |
Adult, Siskiyou County |
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Adult, Siskiyou County.
© James R. Buskirk |
Neonate, Siskiyou County
© James R. Buskirk |
Two neonates, Siskiyou County
© James R. Buskirk |
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Adult, 2,700 ft. Kittitas Co., Washington |
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Adult from dark lava rock habitat, Lake County, Oregon.
© Gary Nafis, specimen courtesy of Richard Hoyer |
Adult, 2,700 ft. Kittitas Co., Washington |
Habitat |
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Habitat, forest clearing, 5,600 ft.
Siskiyou County
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Habitat, forest clearing, 5,600 ft.
Siskiyou County
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Habitat, forest clearing, 5,600 ft.
Siskiyou County
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Habitat, 5,900 ft., Siskiyou County.
© James R. Buskirk |
Habitat, Kittitas County, Washington |
Habitat, Lake County, Oregon
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| Description |
Size |
| 1.25 - 2.5 inches from snout to vent (3.2 - 6.3 cm). |
| Appearance |
A small flat-bodied lizard with a wide oval-shaped body and scattered enlarged pointed scales on the upper body and tail. Horns on back of the head are very small and inconspicuous, extending out horizontally. There is one row of fringe scales on the sides.
Depending on the color of the soil and rocks, the color can be almost white, gray, pale gray, yellowish, reddish brown, tan, brownish, or mostly black, with random white speckling and two rows of large dark spots edged at the rear with white or yellow on the back. The belly is white or cream in color with smooth scales.
Males have enlarged postanal scales and a swollen tail base during the breeding season. |
| Behavior & Natural History |
Diurnal. Adapted to living in a colder environment than other species of horned lizard. Most active during midday warmth spring through fall. Inactive during periods of extended cold or heat. Burrows into the ground at night or goes into rodent burrows.
When threatened, this lizard is capable of running away quickly for only a short distance, and usually runs under a low bush or into a rodent burrow. Its main defense is remaining motionless using its cryptic coloring to blend into the background and make it difficult to see. It will crouch down low to prevent shadows that could make it easier to see, sit still to avoid detection, and will sometimes shake the body from side to side to partially bury itself in loose soil.
Although horned lizards may be desirable pets, captive animals normally do not live very long due to the difficulties of feeding them a proper diet of ants. |
| Diet |
| Ants make up the majority of the diet, along with a variety of other small invertebrates and their larvae. |
| Reproduction |
| Mating takes place in the spring soon after emergence. Live-bearing, with 3-15 young born July to September. |
| Range |
| Found in extreme northeast California and northwestern Nevada, north to southern British Columbia, and east through southern Idaho. |
| Habitat |
| Open rocky or sandy flats, sagebrush and bunch grass plains, pinyon juniper woodlands, open pine forests. Prefers areas with loose soil for burrowing. From 1,000 to 9,000 ft (300 - 1,830 m). |
| Taxonomic Notes |
Formerly Phrynosoma douglasii douglasii, until recognized as a full species in 1997.
Leache and McGuire (2006, Molecular Phylog. Evolution 39:628-644) named four subclades of Phrynosoma - 3 in our area: Anota, Doliosaurus, and Tapaja. |
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Taxonomy |
| Family |
Phrynosomatidae |
Zebra-tailed, Earless, Fringe-toed, Spiny, Tree, Side-blotched, and Horned Lizards |
| Genus |
Phrynosoma |
Horned Lizards |
Species
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douglasii |
Pygmy Short-horned Lizard |
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Original Description |
Phrynosoma douglasii - (Bell, 1833) - Trans. Linn. Soc. London, Vol. 16, p. 105, pl. 10
from Original Description Citations for the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America © Ellin Beltz
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Meaning of the Scientific Name |
Phrynosoma - Greek - phrynos - toad, and soma - body. Refers to the squat, toad-like appearance.
douglasii - honors David Douglas.
from Scientific and Common Names of the Reptiles and Amphibians of North America - Explained © Ellin Beltz
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Alternate Names |
Northwestern Short-horned Lizard
Pygmy Horned Lizard
"Horny Toad," "Horned Toad"
Phrynosoma douglasii douglasii
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Related or Similar California Lizards |
Phrynosoma platyrhinos calidiarum - Southern Desert Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma platyrhinos platyrhinos - Northern Desert Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma mcallii - Flat-tail Horned Lizard
Phrynosoma coronatum-Coast Horned Lizard
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More Information and References |
Natureserve Explorer
California Dept. of Fish and Game
Horned Lizard Conservation Society
Stebbins, Robert C. A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians. 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2003.
Behler, John L., and F. Wayne King. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians. Alfred A. Knopf, 1992.
Powell, Robert., Joseph T. Collins, and Errol D. Hooper Jr. A Key to Amphibians and Reptiles of the Continental United States and Canada. The University Press of Kansas, 1998.
Bartlett, R. D. & Patricia P. Bartlett. Guide and Reference to the Turtles and Lizards of Western North America (North of Mexico) and Hawaii. University Press of Florida, 2009.
Jones, Lawrence, Rob Lovich, editors. Lizards of the American Southwest: A Photographic Field Guide. Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2009.
Smith, Hobart M. Handbook of Lizards, Lizards of the United States and of Canada. Cornell University Press, 1946.
Sherbrooke, Wade C. Horned Lizards, Unique Reptiles of Western North America. Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, 1981.
Sherbrooke, Wade C. Introduction to Horned Lizards of North America. University of California Press, 2003.
Brown et. al. Reptiles of Washington and Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society,1995.
Nussbaum, R. A., E. D. Brodie Jr., and R. M. Storm. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Pacific Northwest. Moscow,
Idaho: University Press of Idaho, 1983.
St. John, Alan D. Reptiles of the Northwest: Alaska to California; Rockies to the Coast. Lone Pine Publishing, 2002.
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The following status listings come from the Special Animals List which is published several times each year by the California Department of Fish and Game.
This animal is not included on the Special Animals List, which indicates that there are no significant conservation concerns for it in California.
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Organization
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Status Listing
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| U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) |
None |
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| California Endangered Species Act (CESA) |
None |
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| California Department of Fish and Game |
None |
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| Bureau of Land Management |
None |
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| USDA Forest Service |
None |
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| Natureserve Global Conservation Status Ranks |
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World Conservation Union - IUCN Red List
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