The Farmer-Stockman
www.FarmProgress.com August 2010
19
Natural Resources
Toad in name only
WILDLIFE
W
BY DESIGN
B
By DR. DALE ROLLINS
W
HEN traveling, I typically have
my radio dial set to an oldies station. Such music reminds me of
more carefree times.
Some animals do that to me also.
For example, the horny toad.
As a kid in the 1960s growing up in
Harmon County, Okla., I’ve caught my
share of horny toads. I remember one
summer (circa 1965) when acquaintances in Nebraska paid us a quarter
each for all the horny toads we could
capture.
But over the past 20 years, horny
toads have become an “oldie but goody”
to most of us.
Horny toads aren’t toads, they’re lizards, and the proper name is “horned
lizard.” There are 14 species of horned
lizards in North America, eight of which
are native to the United States. The
most common species is the Texas
horned lizard (Phyrnosoma cornutum).
“Phrynos” is Greek for “toad” and
“somas” means “body”; “cornutum” is
Latin for “horned.”
Despite their spiky features, horny
toads are preyed upon by a number
of creatures, including roadrunners,
ravens, shrikes, snakes and coyotes.
One time at Elephant Mountain Wildlife
Management Area in Brewster County,
Texas, I saw where a loggerhead shrike
(aka “butcher bird”) had impaled 13
heads of horned lizards on a Spanish
dagger (a large yucca).
Tricky rascals
Beyond their natural camouflage, horny
toads have a couple of other tricks up
their spiny sleeves. They are capable of
inflating their bodies up to twice their
size, resembling a spiny balloon.
And if this proves insufficient, some
species employ one of the animal kingdom’s most bizarre defensive mechanisms: They shoot blood from their
eyes! (That’s referred to as autohaemorrhaging.)
I’d always heard about the bloodsquirting but have only seen it one time.
The ominous squirting blood emanates from ducts in the corners of their
eyes and can travel a distance of up to
3 feet. It’s meant to confuse would-be
predators, but also contains a chemical
that is noxious to canids (dogs, foxes,
coyotes). It appears to have no effect
against predatory birds.
Horned lizards on decline
Over recent decades, short-horn lizard
populations have been in decline
throughout their range. In Texas, they
are considered a “state-threatened species,” and in Oklahoma, a “species of
special concern.”
It is unlawful to kill, capture, keep
as pets, or sell Texas horned lizards
Key Points
■ A horny toad is actually a horned lizard;
the most common is Texas horned lizard.
■ Horned lizard populations have declined
in Texas and Oklahoma.
■ Having a good habitat for horned lizards
makes a difference in their numbers.
When you’re
growing a business
without specific written permission.
Destruction of their native habitat, the
pet trade and efforts to eradicate ants,
their staple food, have contributed to
their decline. About 75% of the horny
toad’s diet is red harvester ants.
Horny toads enjoy social status in
several respects. It is the state reptile
of Texas and Wyoming, and the horned
frog is the mascot of Texas Christian
University.
The legend of Ol’ Rip, a horned toad
allegedly discovered alive in the cornerstone of a demolished courthouse in
Eastland, Texas, in 1928, has been well
publicized. A horned toad had been
placed there in 1897 as part of a time
capsule.
In Texas, you also can purchase a special license plate recognizing the horned
lizard by going online to www.conserva
tionplate.org/lizard-redirect.phtml.
Horned lizard capital
A resolution by the Texas Legislature in
2001 recognized Kenedy as the “Horned
Lizard Capital” of Texas. But last month,
I submit that the Rolling Plains Quail
Research Ranch is a valid contender for
the title.
Herpetologists from the Dallas Zoo
caught and marked 179 horny toads in
just five days at the ranch. Others from
throughout the region have commented
on an apparent resurgence in abundance.
Horny toads reproduce by laying
eggs; the median clutch size for P. cornutum is 25 (one specimen laid 40 eggs).
The eggs are deposited underground
and incubate for about two months,
and then hatch in August or September.
When the young emerge, they look like
miniature versions of the adults, about
11/8 to 11/4 inches long.
Minimum daily movements averaged
by month ranged from 60 yards in June
to 15 yards in October.
We’re the answer.
New technology.
Equipment upgrades.
Better facilities.
Capital Farm Credit specializes in
financing agriculture. We also pay
patronage — we’ve returned more
than $300 million to our customers.
Habitat management
Habitat management for Texas horned
lizards should focus on creating a
mosaic of bare ground, herbaceous vegetation and woody vegetation in close
proximity. Our management strategies
for bobwhites at the ranch adhere to
the same prescription, so it’s not coincidental that areas with good quail abundance likely favor horny toads, too.
Also, the roadrunner population at
the ranch seems to be way down, which
may bode well for horny toads.
Oldies, whether in the form of radio
stations or reptiles, are part and parcel
of my heritage.
I hope they are yours, too.
Rollins is Texas AgriLife Extension
Service wildlife specialist at San Angelo,
Texas.
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