yeah my friend has a few (along with his 5 monitor lizards! =S)
and they eat crickets and small locusts without hastle
and they eat crickets and small locusts without hastle
Horned Lizards
- Thread starter krichardson
- Start date
Many, if not all species of horned toads consume ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex (harvester ants of the species P. maricpoa, P. califonicus, and P. barbatus - typically). In the case of the round-tail horned lizard (Phrynosoma modestum) their primary prey is honey pot ants (Myrmecocystus sp.) but other species, such as Pogonomyrmex californicus and Pheidole spp., are consumed. In another species, the regal horned lizard (Phrynosoma solare) has a diet found to comprise of ants that consists of 90% by frequency and 89% by volume for its prey intake. Other food items are consumed as well; items such as grasshoppers, beetles, Hemipterans (cicadas, aphids, leafhoppers, etc), and, shockingly, blister beetles (they [blister beetles] are extremely toxic to other vertebrates).
The INTRODUCED RED FIRE ANT (Solenopsis invicta) and ARGENTINE ANT (Linepithema humile) however, are part of the cause in the decline of horned lizard populations; as well as habitat loss/destruction/development, and overuse of pesticides to kill ants.
Horned lizards do not need the formic acid in ants to have the ability to squirt blood. Rather the ability is from a build up of blood pressure which results in blood vessels around the eyelids rupturing, thus causing an aimed stream of blood to travel up to 3 feet (I've personally seen streams of upwards of 5-6 ft).
Cited Material:
Degenhardt, William G., Charles W. Painter, and Andrew H. Price. Amphibians & Reptiles of New Mexico. Albuquerque,
The INTRODUCED RED FIRE ANT (Solenopsis invicta) and ARGENTINE ANT (Linepithema humile) however, are part of the cause in the decline of horned lizard populations; as well as habitat loss/destruction/development, and overuse of pesticides to kill ants.
Horned lizards do not need the formic acid in ants to have the ability to squirt blood. Rather the ability is from a build up of blood pressure which results in blood vessels around the eyelids rupturing, thus causing an aimed stream of blood to travel up to 3 feet (I've personally seen streams of upwards of 5-6 ft).
Cited Material:
Degenhardt, William G., Charles W. Painter, and Andrew H. Price. Amphibians & Reptiles of New Mexico. Albuquerque,
NM: University of New Mexico Press, 1996.
"Horned Lizard." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 29 Oct. 2008. 29 Oct. 2008.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phrynosoma#Protection_against_predation>.
