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Animal profile

Texas Horned Lizard

Phrynosoma cornutum

ReptiliaArid and semi-arid open country with loose soil and sparse coverLeast Concern

Field profile

The Texas horned lizard is a flat, round-bodied lizard with a crown of enlarged occipital horns, seldom exceeding 10 centimetres in body length. It is an ant specialist, particularly of harvester ants. When strongly threatened it can rupture small sinuses near the eyes and squirt blood at a predator.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-05-21

Texas Horned Lizard

The horned lizard squirts blood at canids

Cornered Texas horned lizards can rupture vessels in a sinus near the eye and project a jet of blood up to a metre or more. The defence is aimed mainly at foxes, coyotes and dogs, whose reaction suggests the blood carries a compound they find foul.

Read with evidence →

Texas Horned Lizard | Daily Animal Facts