Coast Horned Lizard

About the Coast Horned Lizard

The San Diego horned lizard or Blainville's horned lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii) is a species of phrynosomatid lizard native to southern and central California in the United States and northern Baja California in Mexico. As of 2016, the this species is considered a priority 2 California species of special concern.

Described as a distinct species by John Edward Gray in 1839 (being named after Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville), it was later reclassified as a subspecies of the coast horned lizard (P. coronatum) in 1933. However, studies by Adam Leaché in 2006 and 2009 found sufficient genetic evidence to again classify P. blainvillii as a distinct species. In 2021, Gunther Köhler again reclassified blainvillii as a subspecies of P. coronatum, although the Reptile Database has not followed this.

This species ranges from the Central Valley of California south through Southern California to northern Baja California. These lizards are usually found near mountains in areas that are sandy, with low vegetation and near ant hills. Populations of Blainsville's horned lizard have been identified at elevations ranging from 10 m (33 ft) above sea... Wikipedia →