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(Phrynosoma hernandesi)
| Identification: Body wide and flattened;
spines at back of head approximately same length as width at base; one row
of enlarged scales fringing each side of body; variable coloration usually
blends cryptically with soil; total length up to about 15 cm (5.9
inches).
Mature male:
underside of base of tail with two swellings (from hemipenes); tail
proportionally longer than that of female.
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Colorado
Distribution: Throughout most of western,
southern, and eastern Colorado, but absent from high mountains in the central
part of the state and from all or most of extreme eastern Colorado. Reaches
11,000 feet in southwestern Colorado. Generally scarce, fairly common in
localized areas.
Habitat: Short-grass prairie, sagebrush,
semidesert shrubland, shale barrens, piñon-juniper woodland, pine-oak woodland,
oak-grass associations, and open conifer forests in the mountains. Sparse
vegetation at ground level and easy access to sunlight are among the most
important habitat features. Soil texture may vary from sandy to rocky, though
rocky habitats generally have at least some patches of soft soil or underground
access via rodent burrows.
Life
History: Females give birth to litters of 6
to 20+ young, primarily in August but sometimes as early as late July. Ants
generally dominate the diet.
Note: A population of “dwarfed”
short-horned lizards inhabits the San Luis Valley. They are much smaller than
those elsewhere in the state.