Horny toads are actually lizards or scientifically Phrynosoma and not toads or frogs at all. They differ from most lizards in their body shape which is wide and flat. The spines on their backs and sides are actually scales but their horns on their heads are true horns with a bony core. Their color patterns closely match the soil on which they live and serves well to camouflage them. When threatened, they remain very still. If approached closely, they may run in short bursts then stop quickly.
The large red harvester ant is the horny toad’s favorite food but they will also eat beetles, spiders and insects. They hunt by waiting along ant highways and quickly snap them up one at a time with their tongue and swallow them whole. Horny toads in turn are preyed on by hawks, roadrunners, snakes and coyotes.
Once plentiful, the Horny Toad has declined dramatically and is now a protected species. It is illegal to take, possess, transport or sell them without a special permit. Many of us played with them when growing up and hope that they will make a comeback and allow us to learn from them.