Texas’ Famous Horny Toads Are Disappearing. But Why?

This Texas reptile is not that big, kinda creepy looking, and perfect for scaring girls and wimps. They're also nowhere near as plentiful in the Lone Star State as they once were.

The Horny Toad, (aka "Texas Horned Lizard", "Horned Frog" and/or "Phrynosoma Cornutum"), used to be super common in Texas.

With a habitat ranging from the south-central United States to northern Mexico, they could be found in Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, as well as Texas.

When I was a kid, you couldn't walk across any field, or even walk around your own yard, without seeing at least one. Usually, we'd find several, and if we didn't have anything better to do, we'd catch them. Not that easy ... they're quick little suckers.

The Texas Horny Toad is a pretty interesting creature

They protect themselves in several ways - They camouflage well, their horns make them less appealing as an entree and they can inflate themselves to appear much bigger than they really are.

They're considered sacred by the Navajo and were named the official state reptile of Texas in 1993. They also have the scary ability to squirt blood from their eyes. Which, I'm pretty sure, is where Gene Simmons came up with this bit:

How Is Squirting Blood A Defense Mechanism?

Their blood contains formic acid that is particularly harmful to members of the dog family, and causes an unfavorable reaction that discourages further munching. Horned lizards acquire this chemical in their blood from their diet, specifically from venomous harvester ants. - fishbio

I don't try to catch them anymore -- not out of fear, but because I haven't seen one in forever. Very subtly, they're vanishing. I guess if I went hiking way out in the boonies, I'd probably come across some but they're endangered.

I never see them in rural areas like Chaparral and rarely, if ever, in the deserts of far Northeast El Paso.

Why Are Horned Toads Vanishing?

There are many reasons for this including "destruction of habitat, over collection by us humans, feral cats, blue grass taking over, reducing hiding spaces and pesticide use".

Their diet has been impacted too. They only eat red ants and those are being driven away by fire ants which they will NOT eat. Can't say I blame 'em, freakin' things are deadly.

If you find one, be nice to it. They're fairly docile, can't really hurt you and ... again ... their numbers are dwindling. Take a peek, hold him if you want but be gentle, and make sure you put him back where you found him.