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Fierce looking but laidback. Stalwart but sensitive. Camouflaged but armed with multiple lines of defense. Texas horned lizards are waddling contradictions, and one of Oklahoma’s most loved lizards. We’ve gathered stories about these popular reptiles, chatted with biologists about the best ways to help, and share links for lizard loot.
 Jack Chlebanowski
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Texas horned lizards, or the more familiar “horned toads,” hold a special interest for many outdoor enthusiasts. They often feature fondly in childhood memories, spark a curiosity about the natural world, and can bring excited smiles when encountered. But these tank-like animals aren’t stumbled upon as frequently as they have been in the past. We checked in with biologists Mark Howery and Cheyenne Gonzales to answer a few of the Wildlife Department’s most frequently asked lizard questions and learn how to best help these well-loved reptiles. |
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 Katherine Stroh holds a lizard as part of the long-term conservation program at Tinker Air Force Base.
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Tinker Air Force Base, located a few miles east of Oklahoma City, has long been celebrated as the military’s largest air defense depot and is home to a number of very large, very impressive planes. But just off the runway, in the base’s grassy natural reserves, lives an equally impressive, albeit smaller, claim to fame: Texas horned lizards.
We visited with Ray Moody, natural resources scientist for the base, to learn how this unusual population of lizards has become one of the most well-studied in the past 20 years.
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Get more stories about Tinker's lizards in our Outdoor Oklahoma Journal:
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 Nathan Holden/RPS 2017
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Help biologists track Texas horned lizards this summer by sharing your sightings at wildlifedepartment.com. Reports should include the date and location of the sighting, along with any other details like the number of individuals seen and habitat conditions. We love seeing photos of lizards in the wild! |
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The Texas horned lizard is one of 17 lizard species found in Oklahoma. Learn more about this diverse group of reptiles - and the 123 other species of salamanders, frogs and toads, turtles, and snakes - in "A Field Guide to Oklahoma's Amphibians and Reptiles." Copies are available in our Go Outdoors Oklahoma shop. |
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Adding a lizard license plate to your vehicle is an easy way to show your love for Texas horned lizards and support conservation efforts in Oklahoma. This design is one of nine wildlife specialty license plates available from Service Oklahoma or your local tag agent. |
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To see more stories about Oklahoma's wildlife and our conservation efforts, subscribe to the Wild Side. Our next newsletter will land August 24.
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