My vote is for it being a short-horned lizard: single row of fringe scales along sides of abdomen, horns short and heavy, and the general shape of the horns on the head. The regal horned lizard should have a continuous crown of horns around the back of the head which from this angle this lizard doesn’t seem to have… A beauty!
I love when people stop by to talk lizards with me.
No, really. I really, really like it. I want to post more lizard pictures.
Now I have to look, seeing as how my Natural History of the Sonoran Desert didn’t have a short-horned lizard in it. Let me go grab the Audobon field guide. I will be right back….
Okay, so the Audobon guide makes me think Warren is right…but the short horned lizard looks positively portly in their pictures, and this guy was definitely not round. A svelte horned lizard, in any case.
Warren probably knows his lizards much better than me. I also have never heard of a short-horned lizard, only the regal, so that’s what I thought he was. Good call, Warren! And pretty cool that you saw him/her and were able to snatch such a great photo, Laurel! It’s always fun to learn something new about the Sonoran Desert and it’s fauna!
emily long June 21st, 2009
12:44 pm
beautiful horned lizard - you are lucky to have seen him. When I was little, growing up in Tucson, these guys were in our yard all sumer long, but they’ve since become very scarce!
Okay, I’m blushing now… I’m not sure what it is! (blush) - but I want to know, my curiousness is coming out in full force.
It’s a regal horned lizard, right? Oh he is very handsome…where did you find him?
Yes, I believe s/he is both regal and horned.
I’m not too good on sex identification of lizards, however.
I found this one also up on the Pumpkin Trail near Williams. It was a good hike.
great picture!
My vote is for it being a short-horned lizard: single row of fringe scales along sides of abdomen, horns short and heavy, and the general shape of the horns on the head. The regal horned lizard should have a continuous crown of horns around the back of the head which from this angle this lizard doesn’t seem to have… A beauty!
I love when people stop by to talk lizards with me.
No, really. I really, really like it. I want to post more lizard pictures.
Now I have to look, seeing as how my Natural History of the Sonoran Desert didn’t have a short-horned lizard in it. Let me go grab the Audobon field guide. I will be right back….
Okay, so the Audobon guide makes me think Warren is right…but the short horned lizard looks positively portly in their pictures, and this guy was definitely not round. A svelte horned lizard, in any case.
Warren probably knows his lizards much better than me. I also have never heard of a short-horned lizard, only the regal, so that’s what I thought he was. Good call, Warren! And pretty cool that you saw him/her and were able to snatch such a great photo, Laurel! It’s always fun to learn something new about the Sonoran Desert and it’s fauna!
beautiful horned lizard - you are lucky to have seen him. When I was little, growing up in Tucson, these guys were in our yard all sumer long, but they’ve since become very scarce!