Desert Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma platyrhinos)

[John_White]

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[Stormyva]

Awesome colors on that guy!
Isnt that one of those lizards that "bleed" from their eyes?
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[John_White]

It's my understanding that these lizards can shoot blood several feet from the anterior corners of their eyes.
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[Ravnos]

I mentioned tht briefly in my post titled 'Horned Lizards" in the 'other lizards' forum. They have a little valve that they can open up at will to squirt an amazing amount of blood out of. I have seen pics of people with blood splatters all over their shirt from doing horned toad research. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] It is generally thought to be a defense mechanism against canids, coyotes mainly. I have no idea exactly how effective it is. Obviously it does no good against people.

Excellent picture of an amazing little creature, though he looks a little skinny. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] A guy at UT really has an affinity for horned toads and has a neat site with some information.

Rav

[Stormyva]

Rav, I do remember that post you made now.
(The pic must have keyed up in my memory that post.)
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[JuliusSqueezer]

I don't know how they are surviving but there is a small population running wild in NC that has managed to survive for years. There is another small colony of unknown by anyone but probably me by now in the Etowah Tenn area...I was born in West Texas in 1964. My grandmother made the trip out from Tenn to see me and my sisters who were 5 at the time were constantly bringing them in the house. Granny carried 10 of them home in a shoebox on a Greyhound bus all the way back to Tennessee and let them go in her yard. I caught one in the late 70s there and another in the early 80s. Since then, my grandfather has died and my grandmother is in a nursing home so I haven't been back to the old farm in years.....might make for an interesting herping trip though. There is also a "never been searched" civil war battle field on that same property. All of my childhood, we used to walk out across the cow pasture and find funny looking white bullets and cannon balls....we were warned not to mess with the cannon balls though cause they might explode....hmm snake hook in one hand and a metal detector in the other....let's go!
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[John_White]

>>I mentioned tht briefly in my post titled 'Horned Lizards" in the 'other lizards' forum. They have a little valve that they can open up at will to squirt an amazing amount of blood out of. I have seen pics of people with blood splatters all over their shirt from doing horned toad research. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] It is generally thought to be a defense mechanism against canids, coyotes mainly. I have no idea exactly how effective it is. Obviously it does no good against people.
>>
>>Excellent picture of an amazing little creature, though he looks a little skinny. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img] A guy at UT really has an affinity for horned toads and has a neat site with some information.
>>
>>Rav

Thanks for the information and the link!

John
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[John_White]

>>I don't know how they are surviving but there is a small population running wild in NC that has managed to survive for years. There is another small colony of unknown by anyone but probably me by now in the Etowah Tenn area...I was born in West Texas in 1964. My grandmother made the trip out from Tenn to see me and my sisters who were 5 at the time were constantly bringing them in the house. Granny carried 10 of them home in a shoebox on a Greyhound bus all the way back to Tennessee and let them go in her yard. I caught one in the late 70s there and another in the early 80s. Since then, my grandfather has died and my grandmother is in a nursing home so I haven't been back to the old farm in years.....might make for an interesting herping trip though. There is also a "never been searched" civil war battle field on that same property. All of my childhood, we used to walk out across the cow pasture and find funny looking white bullets and cannon balls....we were warned not to mess with the cannon balls though cause they might explode....hmm snake hook in one hand and a metal detector in the other....let's go!


Wow! A "virgin" civil war battlefield and herps! I'll get my rebel flag and meet you there! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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[SteveP]

Very striking markings on that one John! The specimens I used to find around Las Vegas and the east Mojave desert in California had the same pattern but not that contrasting black. Found one once in the Lanfair Valley, east of the New York Mountains, that was the prettiest shell pink color I'd ever seen on a lizard. Great shot...thanks for sharing! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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[John_White]

Thanks Steve!
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