Animal
Texas horned lizard
The Texas horned lizard is a flat, spiky lizard with horns on its head. It eats lots and lots of ants!
The Texas horned lizard is a wide, flat lizard covered in pointed scales, with big horns at the back of its head. It lives in dry, open country in the south-central United States and northern Mexico, where it eats mostly ants, especially harvester ants. It hides by blending in with the soil, and it can even catch rainwater on its back to drink.
Phrynosoma cornutum (family Phrynosomatidae) is a dorsally flattened, ant-eating lizard of open arid and semi-arid country from Kansas and Colorado to northern Mexico. Hammerson assessed it as Least Concern for the IUCN Red List (assessed 1 March 2007, published 2007; marked as needing updating) because its range and population remain large, but it has apparently declined near the northeastern edge of its range, where fire ants, insecticides, land use and past over-collecting may play a part.
Photo: Brandon Bourassa, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Meet the Texas horned lizard
This lizard is flat and covered in spikes.
It has horns on the back of its head.
It is harmless to people.
The Texas horned lizard is a stocky lizard with a wide, flat body, a short tail and several big horns sticking out from the back of its head. Its sides, legs and tail are covered in large, pointed scales. Some people call it a 'horny toad', but it is a lizard, not a toad.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife calls it the largest horned lizard. It is harmless to people, and it is famous for some very unusual tricks for staying safe and finding water.
Phrynosoma cornutum belongs to the horned lizards, a group within the spiny lizard family Phrynosomatidae; the Missouri Department of Conservation counts 17 horned lizard species, while the Fossil Rim Wildlife Center gives 21. Colorado Parks and Wildlife describes it as the largest horned lizard, wide and flattened, with head spines much longer than they are wide at the base and two rows of enlarged scales fringing each side of the body. It is harmless to people (Missouri Department of Conservation) and is known for unusual defenses and a way of drinking rain from its back.
Quick facts
- Group
- Reptile
- Length
- 0.06 to 0.1 m
- Lifespan in the wild
- 10 years
Dry, open country
It lives in dry, open places.
The ground is sandy or rocky.
It hides just under the soil.
Texas horned lizards live from central Kansas and southeastern Colorado south through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and southeastern Arizona into northern Mexico. They like open, dry places with only a few plants: deserts, prairies, sand dunes and foothills, with grass, cactus or scattered bushes.
The soil can be sandy or rocky. When they are not active, they bury themselves in the soil, go into rodent burrows or hide under rocks.
The IUCN gives a range from extreme southwestern Missouri and central Kansas to southeastern Colorado, south and west through most of Oklahoma and Texas (including coastal barrier islands), eastern and southern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona to northeastern Sonora, Chihuahua and Durango east of the Sierra Madre Occidental, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, San Luis Potosí and Zacatecas (Price 1990). The native eastern limit is uncertain: it is now gone from Arkansas, Missouri records have been questioned, and it may not be native to Louisiana; introduced populations are established in parts of the southeastern United States, including North Carolina and Florida. It inhabits open arid and semi-arid country with sparse vegetation on sandy to rocky soil.
Continent
Its habitats
Where can you find this animal?
- Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
- Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
Native from central Kansas and southeastern Colorado through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and southeastern Arizona into northern Mexico (Sonora to Tamaulipas, Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí) (IUCN). It lives in only part of each country shaded. Introduced populations are established in parts of the southeastern United States, including North Carolina and Florida.
Places: United States and Mexico.
Source: iucn-red-list · checked November 2026
Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Counts of GBIF records of wild observations (human and machine) and preserved specimens. Records include introduced populations, vagrants, escaped or released animals and misidentifications, so a country with records is not necessarily part of the native range.
Wild sightings have been recorded in United States, Mexico, Canada and Namibia.
Source: gbif · checked October 2026
Range maps show where scientists say an animal lives, often country by country. An animal may live in only part of a country shown, and sightings records can include animals that wandered far from home.
An ant eater
Texas horned lizards eat ants.
They love harvester ants best of all.
Texas horned lizards eat mostly ants, especially big harvester ants. In one study, harvester ants made up as much as 69 percent of their food. Now and then they also eat other insects, like beetles and grasshoppers, and spiders.
Because they depend so much on harvester ants, losing those ants is a big problem for the lizards.
The Missouri Department of Conservation describes a diet of primarily ants, especially harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex), with occasional beetles, grasshoppers and spiders. Harvester ants can make up as much as 69% of the diet (Pianka and Parker 1975, cited by the IUCN), and the IUCN describes the species as extremely vulnerable to habitat changes, especially the loss of harvester ants; introduced fire ants are thought to out-compete native harvester ants for food and space (Henke and Fair 1998).
Did you know?
Some people call it a horny toad, but it is a lizard.
The Texas horned lizard is sometimes called a 'horny toad', but it is a lizard.
Sometimes called a 'horny toad' (Colorado Parks and Wildlife).
Horns, spikes and camouflage
It has big horns on its head.
Its sides have rows of spiky scales.
Its colors match the ground.
A Texas horned lizard's head is armored with large scales, some shaped into horns, and two of the horns at the back of its head are especially long. Two rows of enlarged scales make a spiky fringe along each side of its wide, flat body.
It is tan, grayish brown or reddish brown, with two dark brown spots behind the head, brown markings on the back and a pale line down the middle of the back. Its colors usually match the soil where it lives, which helps it hide.
The Missouri Department of Conservation describes a stocky, short-tailed lizard with a heavily armored head, several large horns at the back, large pointed scales on the limbs, sides and tail, a tan to reddish-brown back with two large dark brown nuchal spots and a white or yellow vertebral line, and a white belly with small gray spots. Colorado Parks and Wildlife adds dark bars radiating from the eye, a possible yellow tint on chest, sides and back, coloration typically cryptic against the soil, and snout-vent length usually under 80 mm, with a few females reaching 95 mm.
A nest full of eggs
The mother digs a nest.
She lays lots of eggs in it.
The babies hatch in late summer.
Texas horned lizards probably mate in late spring, soon after they become active. Once a year, the female digs a nest in loose soil or under a large rock and lays her eggs, anywhere from 13 to 49 of them.
The eggs hatch within one or two months. In Colorado, females lay eggs from late May to July, and the babies appear in August and September. In captivity, Texas horned lizards have lived up to 10 years.
In Missouri, courtship and breeding presumably take place soon after the active season begins, probably in May and June; females produce an annual clutch of 13 to 49 eggs in a nest dug in loose soil or under large rocks, and the eggs hatch within one to two months (Missouri Department of Conservation). In Colorado, eggs are laid in late May, June or July and hatchlings appear in August and September (Colorado Parks and Wildlife). Captive individuals have lived up to 10 years (Missouri Department of Conservation); wild lifespan is not given in these sources.
Freeze, puff up, surprise
It sits very still so it is hard to see.
It can puff itself up to look bigger.
It drinks rain from its back!
Texas horned lizards are active in the daytime when it is sunny and hot, and they bask in open places on sunny mornings. To stay safe, they rely on their camouflage, on burying themselves in soil, and on sprinting away or freezing without moving. A frightened lizard can puff up its body with air to look bigger, and it can even squirt a few drops of blood from the corners of its eyes, which can help it escape from dogs, coyotes and foxes. Unlike many lizards, it cannot break off its tail.
When it rains, it arches its back, flattens its body and lowers its head. Tiny channels between its scales carry the rain down to its mouth so it can drink.
The Missouri Department of Conservation describes a diurnal lizard active when the sun is out and temperatures are high, sheltering just below the soil surface when inactive. It relies on cryptic coloration, burrowing, sprinting and freezing, can inflate its body, and can squirt a few drops of blood from the inner corners of the eyes when captured, which can help it escape dogs, coyotes, foxes and predatory birds; unlike many lizards it cannot autotomize its tail. To drink rain it arches the back, flattens the body and lowers the head, and channels between the dorsal scales direct water to the mouth. After heavy rain, individuals have been seen climbing 1 to 2 m up tree trunks (Sheffield and Carter 1994, cited by the IUCN).
Did you know?
Most of what it eats is ants.
Harvester ants can make up as much as 69 percent of a Texas horned lizard's food.
Up to 69% harvester ants (Pianka and Parker 1975, cited by the IUCN).
Gone from some places
There are still many Texas horned lizards.
But they have disappeared from some places.
Many states do not let people collect them now.
The Texas horned lizard is listed as least concern because it still lives across a large area. But by about 1990 it had almost disappeared from eastern Texas, and it has declined in parts of Oklahoma and Kansas. Scientists think these losses may be linked to fire ants, which are thought to crowd out harvester ants, to insect sprays, to farming, and to the many lizards collected as pets and souvenirs in the past. Cars on roads are a danger in some places too.
Today most southwestern states no longer allow people to collect them. A project led by the San Antonio Zoo breeds horned lizards and releases them where they used to live.
Hammerson assessed Phrynosoma cornutum as Least Concern (Global; assessed 1 March 2007, published 2007; trend stable; 'needs updating') because extent, occupancy, subpopulations and population remain large; the adult population surely exceeds 10,000 and probably 100,000. It has virtually disappeared from Texas east of a line from Fort Worth through Austin and San Antonio to Corpus Christi (Price 1990) and declined in parts of Oklahoma and Kansas, while populations in New Mexico, Colorado and southeastern Arizona appear stable and no threats are known in Mexico. Suggested causes include fire ants and the insecticides used against them, heavy agricultural use, over-collecting for the pet and curio trade, and local road traffic (IUCN). The San Antonio Zoo's reintroduction project breeds and releases lizards on cooperating private land (Fossil Rim Wildlife Center).
IUCN Red List
How is the texas horned lizard doing in the wild?
- Least Concern (this animal)
- Near Threatened
- Vulnerable
- Endangered
- Critically Endangered
- Extinct in the Wild
- Extinct
Least Concern
Not at risk of disappearing from the wild right now.
Amazing facts
-
A horned lizard drinks rain that runs down its back!
When it rains, a Texas horned lizard arches its back and lowers its head, and channels between its scales carry the water to its mouth.
Channels between the dorsal scales direct rainwater to the lowered head (Missouri Department of Conservation).
-
Most of what it eats is ants.
Harvester ants can make up as much as 69 percent of a Texas horned lizard's food.
Up to 69% harvester ants (Pianka and Parker 1975, cited by the IUCN).
-
It cannot drop its tail like many lizards can.
Unlike many lizards, the Texas horned lizard cannot break off its tail when a predator grabs it.
Not capable of tail autotomy (Missouri Department of Conservation).
-
Some people call it a horny toad, but it is a lizard.
The Texas horned lizard is sometimes called a 'horny toad', but it is a lizard.
Sometimes called a 'horny toad' (Colorado Parks and Wildlife).
Words to know
- horned lizard
- a member of a group of flat, spiny lizards of North America
- harvester ant
- an ant of the genus Pogonomyrmex, the main food of the Texas horned lizard
- camouflage
- colors or patterns that help an animal blend in with its surroundings
- clutch
- a group of eggs laid at one time
- reintroduction
- releasing animals back into a place where they used to live
- least concern
- not currently at serious risk of dying out in the wild
Discovery challenge
-
What does this lizard eat most?
Which food makes up most of a Texas horned lizard's diet?
Which prey dominates the diet of Phrynosoma cornutum?
- Ants
- Leaves
- Fish
Show the answer
Ants
Ants!
Mostly ants, especially harvester ants.
Harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex), up to 69% of the diet (Pianka and Parker 1975).
-
How does a horned lizard get water when it rains?
How can a Texas horned lizard drink when it rains?
How does Phrynosoma cornutum harvest rainwater?
- Rain runs along its back to its mouth
- It drinks through its feet
- It stores water in its horns
Show the answer
Rain runs along its back to its mouth
The rain runs down its back to its mouth!
It arches its back and lowers its head, and channels between its scales carry rain to its mouth.
Channels between dorsal scales direct rainwater to the lowered head (Missouri Department of Conservation).
-
What can a scared horned lizard do to look bigger?
What does a frightened Texas horned lizard do to look bigger?
Which defensive posture makes Phrynosoma cornutum appear larger?
- Puff up its body with air
- Grow longer horns
- Climb a tall tree
Show the answer
Puff up its body with air
It puffs up!
It puffs up its body with air to look larger.
Body inflation with air (Missouri Department of Conservation).
-
Where do Texas horned lizards live?
In which two countries do Texas horned lizards live naturally?
Which countries make up the native range of Phrynosoma cornutum?
- The United States and Mexico
- Brazil and Argentina
- Australia and New Zealand
Show the answer
The United States and Mexico
The United States and Mexico!
From Kansas and Colorado south into northern Mexico.
Native to the United States and Mexico (IUCN).
Places where you might see it
-
Watch
Country
United States
The United States is a large country in North America made of 50 states, from icy Alaska to the warm islands of Hawaii. It has the Grand Canyon, the Mississippi River and Yellowstone, and about 342 million people live there.
-
Watch
Country
Mexico
Mexico is a large country in southern North America, between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. It has smoking volcanoes, ancient cities built by the Maya and other peoples, and about 132 million people, many of them in and around Mexico City.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Describe how a horned lizard's body helps it hide and stay safe.
- Explain why a lizard that eats mostly one kind of ant is affected when those ants disappear.
- Describe how a horned lizard drinks rain from its back.
- Explain how collecting bans and reintroduction can help a declining animal.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might an animal that eats mostly one food be at more risk than one that eats many foods?
- Why do you think many states made it against the law to collect horned lizards?
- How could a new kind of ant change life for a lizard?
Try at home or in class
- Rain channels: fold a piece of card into ridges, tilt it, and drip water on it. Watch how the folds guide the water downhill.
- Hide on the ground: color paper lizards tan, gray and red-brown and lay them on sand, soil and gravel. Which color hides best on each?
Key vocabulary: horned lizard, harvester ant, camouflage, clutch, reintroduction, least concern
Where these facts come from
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and GBIF Occurrence Search , Global Biodiversity Information Facility (CC0 1.0 (backbone); occurrence counts are facts derived from records under CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC)
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN terms of use (no redistribution of Red List data or range maps))
- Phrynosoma cornutum (Hammerson, assessed 1 March 2007, published 2007) , IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Phrynosoma cornutum: justification, range, population, habitat, threats and conservation text , IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Phrynosoma cornutum: IUCN Red List global assessment record (Hammerson 2007), IUCN checklist on GBIF , GBIF
- Texas Horned Lizard (field guide) , Missouri Department of Conservation
- Texas Horned Lizard , Colorado Parks and Wildlife
- Texas Horned Lizard , Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
- File:Phrynosoma cornutum 293505046.jpg (Brandon Bourassa, 24 June 2023) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file: Public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA only (credited on each page))
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.