Horned Toad, or Horned Lizard, a desert lizard of the western United States and Mexico. There are 15 species, ranging in length from two to eight inches (5 to 20 cm). The horned toad is named for the rows of horny projections on its head and body, and for its resemblance to the toad. It is yellowish, brown, reddish, or gray and has dark spots on the back. The horned toad feeds primarily on ants. The female lays 6 to 40 eggs in a burrow in the sand. The young hatch in six to eight weeks. When threatened by a predator, some species spurt tiny jets of blood from pores in their eyelids. Other species make a hissing sound or inflate their bodies with air.
Horned toads belong to the iguana family, Iguanidae. The most common species are the Texas horned toad, Phrynosoma cornutum; desert horned toad, P. platyrhinos; and the coast horned toad, P. coronatum.