hey, horny toad!
A LITTLE WEST TEXAS WONDER
A sandy patch of ground. A little movement. Then those horns.
If you grew up around horny toads, you probably remember the fun of finding one. If you’ve never met one, there’s plenty to like about this small, spiky lizard.
Let’s get acquainted
FIRST THINGS FIRST
People call them horny toads, horned toads, and horned lizards. That wide body explains the toad part. The scales, claws, and tail tell you what you’re really looking at.
The Texas horned lizard has a crown of horns behind its head, spiny scales along its sides, and markings that help it blend into the ground. Once it holds still, it can be surprisingly easy to miss.
Identify the Texas horned lizardTHEIR PATCH OF GROUND
Open ground, sparse plants, and soil they can dig into: that’s useful horned-lizard country. The Texas species lives across parts of the south-central United States and northern Mexico.
Its range includes much of Texas and parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas. A spot inside that range may still lack the habitat a lizard needs.
Explore their range and habitatA QUESTION MANY OF US ASK
Some people remember seeing them often as children and rarely now. The Texas horned lizard is listed as threatened in Texas, and researchers are working to understand its decline and help populations recover.
San Antonio Zoo raises Texas horned lizards for release into suitable habitat, working with landowners to give them a chance to return.
Explore the dangers they faceWHY HEY, HORNY TOAD?
Hey, Horny Toad! introduces kids and adults to these small, spiky lizards through clear explanations of their lives, their habitat, and the efforts to protect them.
Some visitors will remember finding horny toads as children. Others will be meeting them for the first time. This site has a place for both.