The short-horned lizard is often referred to as a “horned toad” or “horny toad” because its squat, flattened shape and short, blunt snout give it a toad-ish look. There are over a dozen ...

No, It’s Not a Toad ©Matt Jeppson/Shutterstock.com You might know this macabre creature as a horny toad or a horned toad, but it’s not an amphibian at all — it’s a lizard.

Most folks call them horned toads, but they are, indeed, horned lizards. A Texas legend has it that this kind of lizard can live 100 years without food or water, though scientists disagree.

We’ll call that a win. The Texas horned lizard, affectionately called the horny toad, may be iconic, but Texas hasn’t always treated it with due respect. The population of the state’s ...