The Regal Horned Lizard

Scientific name: Phrynosoma Solare

Another Sonoran Desert resident. The regal horned lizard gets part of it's scientific name (Solare) from the shape of the spiky crown around it's head. Solare meaning sun, this is the only horned lizard to have a continuous "spiky" crown around it's head. Most types of horned lizards have a gap between the largest of the back spikes around their heads; which consequently, made it easier for me to figure out the exact type of horned lizards this one was.

Horned lizards love to eat ants but will eat any small insect that they can catch. Ants make up about 80% of their diet, and it could be the cause that their blood is distasteful to some predators.

Horned lizards are famous for squirting blood from their eyes in order to avoid becoming lunch. They have special pores under their eyelids which squirt blood on command. I guess it's sort of like when I tear up to avoid a traffic infraction, except well, they use blood and aim right for the predator's eyes and mouth, and I just cry regular tears and go for the heartstrings ;D

Notice that this little guy is covered in Desert Indianwheat seeds. The seeds are pink/purplish with a concave dark maroon middle. It took me a little while to figure out what those pinkish seeds were (I triple checked, they are seeds).

This is the first time I have ever seen an all gray horned lizard, I was truly over the moon about finding this little critter.

It has a beautiful gray and almost translucent armor. I find it's coloration beautiful. He does look like a little dragon!!

Thank you as always for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did making it. :)