Desert Horned Lizard
Desert horned lizards come in different colors and they can often match their color to the surrounding soil to hide from predators. They can be gray, tan, or reddish-brown, with dark, wavy blotches in two rows on either side of their bodies. These lizards closely resemble short horned lizards, but they are larger and have small horn-like scales in a single row on each side of their bodies.
Habitat
These spiky lizards love to live in “arid” regions, meaning that they like dry, hot environments. You can see them hiding in soil or near rocks if you look carefully! In Idaho, Desert Horned Lizards only live in the southwestern portion of the state. They love to live where loose soil is nearby, so they can burrow to stay cool and hide from predators. They are fun to watch, but if you pick them up, please be gentle and put them back where you found them. Wild animals do not live well in captivity and usually die when taken from their natural habitats.
Food
Like their Short Horned cousins, Desert Horned Lizards love to eat ants. They can be found near ant hills, just sitting and waiting for ants to walk by. They also like to eat other insects, such as beetles and even some spiders.
Fun Facts
Desert horned lizards are different from Short Horned Lizards in how their young are born. Short-horned lizards have live young, while Desert horned lizards must lay eggs. Their young hatch about two months after eggs are laid.
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