Image of Phrynosoma blainvillii Gray 1839

Description:

Upon seeing this lizard dash across the dirt road I very nearly exited my vehicle prior to accomplishing some fairly important pre-exit tasks, namely breaking and disengaging the ignition. You see, I've been longing to see this lizard for several years, basically since I moved to CA and learned that horned lizards actually live here. After regaining the bare minimum of my faculties, this little guy led me on a merry chase until I managed to grab him, and lord, what a beautiful creature. I was both happy and sad that he wasn't distressed enough to shoot blood out of his eyes (a defensive trick they do).