About Phrynosoma taurus Bocourt, 1870
Taxonomy and Naming
The Mexican horned lizard, scientifically named Phrynosoma taurus Bocourt, 1870, is a horned lizard species native to Mexico. Horned lizards are sometimes called "horned toads" or "horny toads", even though they are not actually toads.
Research Status
Compared to other species in the Phrynosoma (horned lizard) genus, very little is known about this species.
Geographic Range
This lizard lives in the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains, located south and southeast of Mexico City within the Mexican states of Guerrero and Puebla. Its geographic range partially overlaps with the range of another horned lizard species, Phrynosoma braconnieri.
Habitat Preferences
The Mexican horned lizard is a terrestrial species. It inhabits arid scrub, high desert, and tropical dry forest, and it can also survive and persist in traditional pastures.
Reproduction
Like some other horned lizard species including Phrynosoma hernandezi and Phrynosoma orbiculare, Phrynosoma taurus is viviparous.
