About Phrynosoma modestum Girard, 1852
Phrynosoma modestum, commonly called the roundtail horned lizard, typically has coloration that matches the color of the soil in its native habitat. Most individuals are uniformly gray, but they may also be light brown or pale yellow. Darker markings often appear around the neck and groin, and faint striping can sometimes occur on the tail. This species is a short, flat, round-bodied lizard with short limbs and a small head. The head bears a distinctive crest of horns that are all nearly equal in length. Unlike other horned lizards, the roundtail horned lizard has no fringe of scales along the sides of its body. It also does not flatten itself against the ground to eliminate shadow; instead, it hunches its body into a rock-like shape for camouflage, which leaves a distinct visible shadow. The maximum snout-to-vent length (SVL) for this species is 7 cm (2.7 in), and the maximum total length including the tail is 10.5 cm (4.3 in). The roundtail horned lizard favors rocky, sandy semiarid habitats with sparse vegetation. It tends to live near harvester ant colonies, and especially near honeypot ant colonies, which are the source of its primary diet. It is oviparous, meaning it lays eggs, and breeds and lays eggs in early summer.
