The Environment of the Texas Horned Lizard

Range

• The range of the Texas Horned lizard encompasses much of the Southwest. It can be found in Texas and parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and New Mexico.

Hot and Dry

• All lizards are ectothermic, sometimes referred to as cold-blooded. This means they depend on their environment to supply all the heat their body needs to perform its necessary functions such as digestion, respiration and circulation. The Texas Horned Lizard basks in the sun or buries itself in the sand to regulate its body temperature. It also digs beneath the surface of the sandy soil to lay its eggs. The female remains on the eggs for one day and then never returns to the nest.

Camouflage

• These lizards have natural camouflage to help them blend into their surroundings. They also have the ability to change color to closely mimic the desert color palette. This makes them difficult for potential predators and prey to spot.

Food

• Insects comprise most of their diet with harvester ants preferred. Their natural food source is being threatened by the invasion of fire ants, which also eat harvester ants. To complicate matters, the insecticide used to manage fire ants is toxic to horned lizards.

Threats

• Traditionally, horned lizards were extensively collected for the pet trade. Because this caused a decline in population, it is now illegal to collect these lizards without a permit. Their primary natural predators are raptors. However, automobiles also pose a serious risk to lizards that bask on the warm road surface.

Habitat Destruction

• Texas Horned Lizards are considered a threatened species. The effects of fire ants, pesticides and agriculture have impacted their environment and caused poisoning and loss of habitat, effectively reducing the population of horned lizards.