That was a "horny toad"

"Stop!"

Seems like Jake hollers "stop" a lot when we're on the road. I haven't figured out whether that's because I'm always looking in the wrong places or because of my failing vision. Probably a little of both.

"That was a 'horny toad.' A baby horny toad!" Jake continued.

I was already backing up and sure enough, barely on the pavement, at grass edge, was a juvenile Texas horned lizard, Phrynosoma cornutum. And just behind it was another.

The stretch of road we were on was a bit north from the Rio Grande in western Texas. Over the years, I consistently found adult Texas horned lizards along this roadway. Although this strong and consistent population indicated that I was seeing a viable and reproducing population, until this trip I had not actually seen any juvenile examples.

But now, with two tiny post-hatchlings on the roadside there was no longer any question of whether or not the population was breeding.

Thanks, Jake.

More photos below...

Barely bigger than a quarter, this was one of two juvenile Texas horned lizards seen on the trip. Surprised on the road, this Texas horned lizard was trying to decide whether to use camouflage or to try and run to the safety of the grasses.

Author, photographer, and columnist Richard Bartlett is one of the most prolific writers on herpetological subjects in the 20th century. With hundreds of books and articles to their credit, Richard and his wife Pat have spent over four decades documenting reptiles both in the field and in captivity. For a list of their current titles, please visit their page in our bookstore.