Texana Thursday: 3 Things You Might Not Know about Texas Horned Lizards

The Texas Horned Lizard (Dallas Zoo photo)

Think of the term “horned frog” and chances are you think of the Texas Christian University mascot. But there’s more to horned frogs—or, more correctly, horned lizards—than simply being a proud mascot in purple.

To begin with, there are three types of horned lizards in Texas. These are mountain short-horned lizards, round-tailed horned lizards, and Texas horned lizards.

The Texas horned lizard, not surprisingly, is the Texas state reptile.

It is known for two long, central horns, often separated by either a short horn or enlarged scale. It has sharp side horns, spiny backs, and two rows of large, abdominal fringe scales.

It can puff itself up to twice its size to discourage would-be predators.

Three things you might not know about Texas horned lizards are:

1. The Texas horned lizard can be found in other states.

The Texas horned lizard lives not just in Texas, but in other states, including Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. They also live in Mexico. Horned lizards are found in arid and semiarid grasslands.

2. The Texas horned lizard food supply has been reduced thanks to pesticides.

Horned lizards eat harvester ants. They also eat grasshoppers, isopods, small beetles, and beetle larvae. But harvester ants are the top item on the horned lizard’s diet.

But an increase in fire ant population, and the pesticides used to control them, have reduced the harvester ant population.

3. The Texas horned lizard comes in different colors.

Texas horned lizard colors can differ between individual lizards and given populations. However, they usually have a white or pale stripe down the middle of their tan backs, with dark stripes radiating from the eye to upper lip and on the top of the head.