Horned Lizards (Family Phrynosomatidae)

Phrynosomatidae is a diverse family of lizards, found from Panama

to the extreme south of Canada.

Many members of the group are adapted to life in hot, sandy deserts,

although the spiny lizards prefer rocky deserts or even relatively

moist forest edges, and the short-horned lizard lives in prairie or

sagebrush environments.

The group includes both egg-laying and viviparous (producing living

young instead of eggs from within the body) species, with the latter

being more common in species living at high elevation. There are 136

species organised into 10 genera in this family.

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