Look carefully where you step

This morning while hiking up Black Butte near Sisters, Oregon, I spied a horned toad on the trail.  Although its short blunt shape resembles a frog  it is neither a toad nor a frog, but a lizard belonging to the genus Phrnosomatidae, morphologically similar to the thorny devil of Australia.

Horned lizards use a wide variety of techniques to avoid predation which, as you can see above, includes camoflauge. It also remains very stiill to avoid detection or runs in short bursts to confuse the predator's vision. Also it puffs up its body to make itself look more horny. These lizards feast on ants and other small insects and uses the same defense mechanisms to its advantage in hunting.

Tapir and Friends Animal Store has a large selection of plastic reptiles including many kinds of plastic lizards. Among its desert animals there is an excellent horned toad replica and even a plastic cactus to add character to a science project diorama.

by lee

                                                   This blog is sponsored by Tapir and Friends Animal Store.