Hobbies And Interests
Rattlesnake
The rattlesnake is not just one species but several. The biggest and most pervasive is the western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox. Rattlesnakes are ambush hunters that wait in hiding for prey to walk by. Then they attack the unsuspecting animal and inject it with their deadly venom. However, horned toads are aware that rattlesnakes rarely pursue their prey. If a rattlesnake is in the vicinity, they wait until it's near before suddenly and swiftly bolting away. Nonetheless, many horned toads end up as dinners for rattlesnakes.
Whipsnakes
Whipsnakes are extremely fast and agile snakes that thrive in the arid lands of the western United States. One common whipsnake is the coachwhip snake, Masticophis flagellum. Because whipsnakes are very quick, there is little chance a horned toad would be able to outrun this fast predator, so they don't even try. Instead, when a coachwhip snake has its eye on a horned toad for its next meal, the horned toad spreads its back and tilts upwards, and puffs up the spines around its face and body. This protects the horned toad because the coachwhip has a difficult time getting its jaws around it. However, sometimes the horned toad is not quick enough and loses the battle to the larger, and swifter, coachwhip.
Mountain Patch-Nosed Snake
Patch-nosed snakes are another thin, quick and agile snake of the American West. One common example is the mountain patch-nosed snake, Salvadora grahamiae. The snake is diurnal, most active in the daytime. This is also when lizards -- the snake's favorite food -- are out and about. If this snake has its eye on a horned toad, the spiny lizard doesn't even attempt to outrun it, but instead tries to deter the predator with his puffed-up spiny head trick.
Glossy Snakes
The medium-size, brown glossy snake has a diet consisting almost exclusively of lizards plus a few small rodents. The glossy snake is mostly active at night. During the heat of the day, the snake burrows into the sand or under a rock, keeping cool and waiting for prey. When a lizard, such as the horned lizard, comes close, the glossy snake darts out to catch him off guard and kill him with a strong blow. Like all of its prey, the glossy snake will swallow the horned lizard whole. In a 1999 study on the glossy snake, Arizona elegans, researchers J.A. Rodriguez-Robles et al reported specimens that had died trying to consume horned lizards, attesting to the danger that is inherent with eating this prickly creature.