The Texas horned lizard, Phrynosoma cornutum, is a species in the lizard family, Phrynosomatidae, which has ten genera and a diverse group of over 125 different species (Hammerson 2007; Cossel Jr. 1997). Lizards in this family can be found in Mexico, Panama, most areas of the United States and parts of Canada (Heying 2003). Phrynosomatids range in a variety of forms, but are most commonly distinguished by their small size (less than 10 cm long), rough and keeled scales, spikes on their bodies, and the fusion of the sides of their teeth to the sides of their inner jawbones, known as pleurodont teeth (Heying 2003). The thirteen species in the horned lizard genus, Phrynosoma, can be identified more specifically by their flattened bodies (similar to a toad), small and coarse dorsal scales, camouflaged markings, and a short head with two horns pointing towards their backs (Oklahoma 1996). Of all the Phrynosoma horned lizards, the Texas horned lizard has the largest body and is the most widely dispersed species (Wikipedia 2007).
The Texas horned lizard can be distinguished by a large flattened body, two large spines on their heads, two rows of fringed scales on their sides, keeled scales on their backs, abdomen, and sides, a white stripe down their back, and brown lines near their eyes (Pianka & Hodges 1995). It inhabits arid environments and preys on small insects, but primarily ants (Oklahoma 1996). The Texas horned lizard is most anatomically similar to the Australian thorny devil, (Moloch horridus), which is most likely due to convergent evolution (Pianka and Parker 1975). Both species of lizards have different phylogenies and lineages, but appear to share common morphological and ecological adaptations due to similar habitats and ...
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...m. 1996. Oklahoma’s Most Wanted: The Texas Horned Lizard. Web. Accessed 15 February 2014 at https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/wildlifemgmt/species/lizard.PDF
Pianka, E. and Hodges, W. 1995. Horned Lizards. University of Texas. Web. Accessed at http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~varanus/phryno.html
Pianka, E. and Parker, W. 1975. Ecology of horned lizards: A review with special reference to Phrynosoma platyrhinos. Copeia 1975: 141-162.
Sherbrooke et al. 2007. Zoomorphology, vol. 126, p. 89-102.
Sherbrooke, W. 2003. Introduction to Horned Lizards of North America. (pp. 9-10). London, England: University of California Press Ltd.
Shuker, K. 2001. The Hidden Powers of Animals: Uncovering the Secrets of Nature. London, England: Marshall Editions Ltd. p. 128.
Wikipedia. 2007. Horned lizard. Web. Accessed 15 February 2014 at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_lizard
Ceratopsians and Pachycephalosaurs are closely related in their characteristics. Ceratopsians processed a saddle-shaped boney frill that extended from the skull to the neck and typically had horns over the nose and eyes. The most popular was the triceratops, which could reach over 26 feet and weigh in excess of twelve metric tons. Their frills served as two major functions. It protected the vulnerable neck from being harmed. The second major function that the frill provided was due to the fact that the frill contained a network of blood vessels on its underside, which were used as a means to get rid of excess heat. The Pachycephalosaurs were considered to be bipedal. They were also found to have thick skulls, flattened bodies, and tail that were covered in an array of body rods. Pachycephalosaurs were thought to have been more than fifteen feet long and processed a skull that was surrounded by a rounded dome of solid bone. It was thought that they used their heads in combat or mating contests, but that was disproved fairly recently, which I will discuss later in the paper. Both Ceratopsians and Pachycephalosaurs were “bird-hipped” and both of these suborders contained a backwards pubic bone. Both were Marginocephilia, or “fringed heads”, which is one of three clads under the Orinthiscia order. They were also herbivore dinosaurs that inherited their fringe at the back of the skull from earlier ancestors.(2) Their classi...
The Web. The Web. 7 December 2011. Bearded Dragons make great pet lizards. My Beardie.
United States Department of the interior Fish And Wildlife Service, . North American Fauna. 2012.
Without the horned lizard, the Saguaro desert would fall apart quickly. If you have ever heard someone say, “Hey look! There’s a horned toad!” they are really referring to a horned lizard. They have spines (spikes) to protect themselves from predators. These lizards move slowly, and are patient for their food. They eat mostly insects such as ants, and in the Saguaro desert, they eat kangaroo rats. There are 14 different species of horned lizards. They are different in some ways, but all of their colors resemble their surroundings, and it helps them to stay safer. Horned lizards can survive in many climates and temperatures. If it gets too hot, they burrow with their head sticking out at the surface of the ground. That way, it cools them down without having to go far. Conveniently they can stay in their home for the winter. They survive by burrowing in the ground and hibernating. Horned lizards mostly lay eggs, but for some species, the young are born alive. After the eggs are laid, the parents ...
Hyla versicolor, commonly know as the Gray Tree Frog or the Eastern Gray Tree Frog, is an amphibian that is referred to as the “Chameleon of the Frog world” (Craighead, 2004, p.1) because of its ability to change colors. “This frog was once thought to be the same species as the Cope’s Gray Tree Frog”. They can only be distinguished by their calls and the fact that the Cope Gray Tree Frog is diploid while the Gray Tree Frog is tetraploid (NPWRC, 2004). The Gray Tree Frog is classified as follows:
Physical Features for both Iguanas and Komodo Dragons include , Dwelp, Long claws, Forked tongues, Skin, and Camouflage. A dwelp is the skin underneath the
Deinos, Greek for fearfully great; awe-inspiring and sauros meaning a lizard. From these words “Dinosaur” is created. When imagining a dinosaur, do thoughts of a large Tyrannosaurus Rex, a swift Velociraptor, or a gliding Pterodactyl appear? Or are those thoughts composed of an image of a small Compsognathus? Do visions of the dinosaurs that we often saw in our childhood come to mind? The amiable brightly colored friends in cartoons or the fearsome bloodthirsty experiments in movies? Were those dinosaurs portrayed accurately? There are features such as size that was changed to appeal more to popular media and for creativity. The Dilophosaurus is a dinosaur that became popular in the the public due to Michael Crichton’s novel “Jurassic Park”. Dilophosaurus means “Two crested lizard”. It was named this because of the two crests on it’s head.The Dilophosaurus in Jurassic Park, both in the movie and book, has a false depiction of size, abilities that no one can prove, and features which are unlikely.
Medred, Craig. "Into The Wild: The False Being Within —." Far North Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014. .
Fossil evidence suggests that the Cathartid (New World) vultures have been around for quite some time with two fossil species dated from the early Oligocene (about 35 million years ago). During the Pliocene and Pleistocene (about 2 million years ago) th...
An example of a cautionary tale regarding animals is seen in the textbook “Anansi, the Clever One” where the selfish spider Anansi learns the penalty of being selfish and conceited (Rosenberg, 15). While the Anansi stories depict a trickster, they
The central animal on my animal family map is the Komodo dragon. I chose the Komodo dragon as my central animal because it is the largest reptile, and it is venomous. When looking at the eight animals I related to the Komodo dragon, three of them turned out to be closely related. The Iguana, Rhinoceros Viper, and House Gecko. All three of these animals turned out to be related to the Komodo dragon by their Kingdom, Phylum, Class, and Order. “Squamata” the classification that brought them together is the largest group of reptiles with 6500-7000 lizards, snakes, Iguanas etc,. Reptiles are animals that lay eggs and usually have dry and scaly skin. The Iguana, Rhinoceros Viper, and House Gecko are all reptiles, leading me to believe that this specific
Works Cited Bates, D. (1957, December 17). Letter from Roy Wilkins. Little Rock, Arkansas, United States of America. Beals, M. P. (1994). The Species of the World.
Chameleons are reptiles that have been living on Earth for over 100 million years. Chameleon fossils date back to the Paleonzene period. Their fossils have been found in Africa, Europe and Asia. Over half of the species of the chameleons live in Madagascar (Raxworthy, 2004). Chameleons are in the Animal Kingdom and Chordata Phylum. They get their name from the Family they are grouped in called Chamaeleonidae. Chameleons are closely realted to iguanas and other lizards. Although they are similar, chameleons have unique features that distinguish them from other lizards. The most distinguishing feature of chameleons is their ability to change the color of their skin.
Holcomb, D. 2005. "Pseudoryx nghetinhensis" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 14, 2014 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Pseudoryx_nghetinhensis/
Capable of accomplishing anything, my five-year-old self set out on a mission during the summer of 1996. Eager to begin my excursion, I woke up that morning and could not wait to get outside. “Today’s the day I’m going to prove to my brothers that I’m just as sneaky and fast as they are”, I said to myself. Each year, my brothers would always go outside and catch lizards (also known as Skinks), frogs, snakes, etc. all throughout the summer, but this year it’s my turn. Scoping out the best “lizard” places for weeks had finally built up my confidence enough that I finally felt ready for some action. Unbeknownst to me at the time, this day would soon be remembered and told throughout my family for years to come.