Have You Seen this Cute Little “Horny Toad” in the Wild? Tell Montana Wildlife Officials

I spent my early childhood growing up in rural Iowa. One summer, we were down the road visiting our neighbors when a tornado warning came on the radio. We piled into the rustic basement/root cellar of the old farmhouse to wait out the storm.

As the skies turned eerie tornado-green and the wind howled, we spotted a small chameleon scurrying across the dirt-floor basement. While I'm not particularly fond of reptiles, I remember it to this day.

Lizards, chameleons, geckos, and the like, aren't nearly as common in Montana as they are in places like Florida or hot, muggy summertime Iowa. But there are several varieties in Big Sky Country, including:

• Common Sagebrush Lizard
• Greater Short-horned Lizard
• Pygmy Short-horned Lizard
• Western Fence Lizard
• Northern Alligator Lizard
• Western Skink

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks would like to know if you see the Greater Short-horned Lizard on your outdoor adventures this year. Sometimes called a "horny toad" or "horned toad," biologists would like to get a better grasp of their population numbers and locations across our great state.

Regarding the Greater Short-horned Lizard, FWP says,

This species is found across much of eastern and central Montana. There is anecdotal evidence of significant declines, likely from habitat loss through land use changes. It faces threats from continued habitat loss and invasion of non-native plant species.

Adults are typically 3 - 5 inches long, and they are most active from April to September.

If you see a Greater Short-horned Lizard, report your sighting to MT FWP.

On a March 6 Facebook post from the agency, they said you can report your sightings via several methods.

• The iNaturalist App
• On the FWP website
• Email to: amanda.hall@mt.gov

Note: the agency would like you to take a photo if possible, along with the date and location (latitude/longitude) when reporting Greater Short-horned Lizard sightings.