Reptile
Greater Short-horned Lizard
Phrynosoma hernandesi
Photo: Calibas, CC BY-SA 3.0
Common Names
Horned Toad / Horned Lizard
Habitat
Dry prairies, sandy soils, and semi-arid grasslands
First Observed
1804-05-31
Observed At
Near present-day Jefferson City, Missouri
Lewis and Clark encountered the short-horned lizard (which they called “horned toad” or “horned lizard”) in present-day Missouri as early as May 1804. One specimen was collected and sent back to President Jefferson with other natural history specimens on the keelboat in April 1805. This small, flat-bodied lizard with crown-like horns on its head was new to science and fascinated naturalists in the East.
Journal Excerpt
Lewis, May 31, 1804: "one of the men caught a large lizard… the body was flat and covered with horny scales, the head armed with short pointed spines like those of the horned snake. it appeared to be perfectly harmless."
Journal References
4 journal entries mention Greater Short-horned Lizard
Aug
26
1805
Clark: August 26, 1805
...s which were verry wild, but few
Birds. a number of ground Lizards; Some fiew Pigions
Oct
14
1805
Clark: October 14, 1805
...s which
were verry wild, but few Birds. a number of ground Lizards; Some fiew
Pigions plainly See a rainge of mountains which bore S. E. & N. W. the
nearest point ...
Nov
29
1805
Clark: November 29, 1805
...ird which frequents logs & about the roots of
treesSnakes, Lizards, Small bugs, worms, Spiders, flyes &
insects of different kinds are to be Seen in abundance at th...
May
29
1806
Clark: May 29, 1806
...uced me to distinguish it by the appellation of the
Horned Lizard. I cannot conceive how the engagees ever assimilated this
animal withe Buffalow for there is not g...
