Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosomta solare)

When coming to design my hybrid, I knew that I wanted to make my hybrid a desert-creature. I was very interested in creating scales, and making a lizard-like hybrid, but I had little knowledge of desert-dwelling lizards. I did some research into the desert, and came across this creature, which I have decided to use for my human hybrid, as it is so extravagant, and very interesting.

The Regal Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma solar) is a desert dwelling lizard, native to Mexico and the South-West of the US.

Physical Description - 
The lizard is a small, flat creature, ranging in size from about 3-4 inches when fully grown. It's body is similar to that of a toad, as it is wide and flat, giving it the nickname 'horny toad' or 'horned toad'. It's tail is shorter than most lizards, and very broad at the base to match its torso. The horns that lay around it's head are composed of four larger horns at the base of the head, with three more horns gradually smaller in size around towards the mouth of the lizard, making them look like a crown, hence the word 'Regal' in it's name. It's scaly body is of a dusty-brown tone, which supports its camouflage from predators above, whilst its belly is much lighter on the underside, a yellowy-grey tone.

Habitat-
The Regal Horned Lizard is mainly found in southeastern Arizona, and the Sonoran Desert Mountains, mainly thriving in the mountainous areas. They prefer a warmer climate as they are cold-blooded creatures. The thrive in areas that have large open spaces with desert vegetation, giving them areas of complete sunlight and also shade from predators above. They prefer their climates to be hot and dry, so deserts are their only natural habitat.

Diet- 

The Regal Horned Lizard lives on a diet of insects, including sowbugs, spiders, 80% of their intake consists of Harvester Ants. The lizard does not eat like an ordinary lizard, instead it uses it's toad-like tongue to lash out and stick onto any oncoming, unsuspecting critters. 

Adaptations -

This lizard is a particularly interesting creature when it comes to looking at their adaptations for their habitats. As we know, the lizard lives in dry, desert conditions, where it sees two extremes; blistering hot days and freezing cold nights. The lizard has has to adapt to this, as in the mornings warm-blooded creatures are awake and active, but these lizards are cold-blooded, meaning that they are still trying to warm up from the cold night before, and are very slow. They 'secretly-sunbathe', as Sir David Attenborough describes it. They lie buried in the sand with no more than their heads above the surface, basking in the sunlight. They cannot simply lie fully in the sun otherwise they may be snatched from predators such as eagles, flying above. But they still manage to warm their whole bodies using their blood. Whilst sunbathing, they can force the blood to pool in their heads, just behind the eye cavity, where is warms up to 5 degrees more that it's body, then push it around their bodies by opening blood vessels around their necks when it is at the right temperature, allowing it to circulate. The animal is now able to run away from any threats, and can come out from underneath the sand. 

Another adaptation is their ways to deal with oncoming predators. It's scaly, jagged body works as perfect camouflage against the rugged rocky habitat they live in. Prey from above such as eagles simply cannot see them, as they look like part of the landscape. Another technique these lizards use are 'flipping'. This occurs when the lizard is approached by a predator such as a snake, or larger reptile. The lizard puffs it's body out, to almost double it's size, so it's spikes and horns make it difficult for any predators to attack. It then flips itself onto it's back, scaring away the predators. 

The last technique of the Regal Horned Lizard is a phenomenon in the natural world, no other animals have been seen to do this. If the lizard is approached by a larger mammal, such as a fox or dog, the lizard protects itself from squirting blood out of its eyes. They do this by reducing the blood flow out their heads, and allowing blood pressure to build up in the vessels of the face. These vessels behind their eyes then burst, projecting blood onto the predator. The blood can reach up to 5 feet in the air due to the pressure. The lizard can not only control when the vessels burst, but can also direct the spout of blood appearing from it's eyes, by moving the eye muscles. 

NatGeoWild (2014) Blood shooting eyes. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xodVcgJ8bc0 (Accessed: 17 November 2015).
BBC and Attenborough, D. (2010) Life In Cold Blood - The Cold Blooded Truth. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0060tnq .
Phrynosoma solare (regal horned lizard) (no date) Available at: http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Phrynosoma_solare/ (Accessed: 17 November 2015).