Be on the Lookout For the Greater Short-horned Lizards

As you are hitting the field this fall, be sure to take a break from scanning the horizon for game and look down at the ground once in a while. Not only will this help you avoid stepping on a cactus or a rattlesnake, but you might also see one of eastern Montana’s rarely seen critters . . . the greater short-horned lizard, commonly known as a “horny toad.” If you do, Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks would like to know about it.

The greater short- horned lizard, Phrynosoma hernandesi, was once considered the second most abundant reptile along the Missouri River in Montana in the late 19th Century, second only to the western rattlesnake. Currently, however, these lizards are considered a ‘Species of Greatest Inventory Need’ in...