horned toad

horned toad: see horned lizard.

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horned toad

 or horned lizard

Any of about 14 species of lizards of the genus Phrynosoma, family Iguanidae. They usually have daggerlike head spines (horns) and a flattened oval body with pointed fringe scales along the sides. Species range from about 3 to 5 in. (8 to 13 cm) long. They are found from British Columbia, Can., south to Guatemala and from the U.S. states of Arkansas and Kansas westward, usually in desert or semidesert sandy country. They eat mainly ants. They hide by changing their colour pattern and wriggling sideways into the sand until all but the head is covered. They may defend themselves by inflating the body quickly and (rarely) spurting blood from the eyes.

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horned toad [¦hȯrnd ′tōd]

(vertebrate zoology)

The common name for any of the lizards of the genusPhrynosoma;a reptile that resembles a toad but is less bulky.