When it comes to creative survival tactics in the animal kingdom, few creatures can compete with a small, spiky reptile that weaponizes its own blood. The greater short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more. This ...

A lizard on a wall is so common that most of us don't even notice it anymore. It appears for a few seconds, freezes in place, ...

The horned lizard relies on camouflage until there is nowhere left to hide. When a predator closes in, it deliberately ruptures blood vessels behind its eyes. A stream of foul-tasting blood sprays ...

Out in the dry scrublands of the American West, a squat, spine-covered reptile spends its days nearly invisible against the sand, dust and stone. The greater short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi ...

Some animal adaptations look like they were designed by a committee of mad scientists. The greater short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi)—Wyoming’s state reptile, also dubbed the “horny toad” ...