Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. In the arid plains and rocky deserts of North America, a ...

Short-horned Lizard. Art by Jackie Blurton. Nature Note by Dr. Roland Shook. The Short-horned Lizard is one of four species of horned lizards found in New Mexico. Members of the g ...

Why they're awesome: Greater short-horned lizards have a squat, flat shape and short snouts, which makes them look more like amphibians than reptiles — hence the nickname "horny toads." But these ...

Out in the dry scrublands of the American West, a squat, spine-covered reptile spends its days nearly invisible against the sand, dust and stone. The greater short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi ...

When it comes to creative survival tactics in the animal kingdom, few creatures can compete with a small, spiky reptile that weaponizes its own blood. The greater short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma ...

In places, the Missouri River Breaks look more like the American Southwest than Eastern Montana. Wind-scoured rimrocks drop into devilishly deep, tortured canyons. Cactus, yucca and stunted grasses ...

Eastern Montana's short-horned lizard, also known as a horny toad, has a unique way to stay safe. The reptile can shoot blood out of its eyes. The blood has a bad taste that comes from eating ...

The next time you’re enjoying Montana’s great outdoors, be on the lookout for peculiar creatures with a bizarre defense mechanism — shooting blood out of their eyes. State wildlife officials want to ...

The greater short-horned lizard is a master of disguise and is also good at hiding, so a Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks biologist is asking all of you to help out. There is very little information ...

When my grandson Parker was 11 years old, he called me from a coastal island with exciting news. Problem was I took the call outside a restaurant with people jabbering and at a spot where I had a ...