Phrynosoma blainvillii (Blainville’s Horned Lizard)
Credit: Gary Nafis
about the species
Blainville’s horned lizard, Phrynosoma blainvilli, is a widespread species native to the southern two-thirds of California and adjacent Baja California. Under current taxonomy it is essentially a California endemic that is widely distributed in the coast ranges from the Bay Area south into extreme northern Baja California, the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, and the Sierra Nevada foothills. In addition, the entire species is a California Species of Special Concern (Thomson et al, 2016) and is currently under consideration for listing under the US Endangered Species act. Like all horned lizards, it is an ecological specialist with its diet largely restricted to native ants and the sandy soil that they prefer.
why species was selected
Given its severe declines (and candidate listing status) across its range, it’s habitat specificity, and its overall broad geographic range, Blainville’s horned lizard is a high priority species for coastal California and Central Valley conservation efforts and has been identified by the CDFW as a high conservation target for genomic research.
