Unique Critters

The San Domingo Ranch is home to many unusual creatures. One of the rarest and most interesting is the Texas Horned Lizard or "horny toad." It is a flat-bodied and fierce-looking lizard. The head has numerous horns, all of which are prominent, with two central head spines being much longer than any of the others.

This lizard is brownish with two rows of fringed scales along each side of the body. On most Texas Horned Lizards, a light line can be seen extending from its head down the middle of its back. It is the only species of horned lizard to have dark brown stripes that radiate downward from the eyes and across the top of the head.

In the past we have seen them in abundance, but they went into decline years ago. They are listed on the Texas Threate ned Species list. Our policy of no pesticide use, instituted almost thirty years ago, appears to have made a difference for our resident group of horny toads. They are coming back, and can be found easily on the Ranch again.

The green anole is a relative common lizard, slight in build, with a narrow head and a long, slender tail that can be twice as long as the rest of the animal. Color can vary from gray-brown, to brown, to bright green; each animal can change its color to blend with surroundings. Males can have a noticeable dewlap that is pink when displayed. Commonly referred to as a "chameleon" due to its ability to change color, but not a true chameleon. The San Domingo has them in great numbers throughout the summer, a natural predator that is fun to see in action.

Red-eared sliders are Texas’s most common aquatic turtles. These turtles get their name from a broad red stripe behind their eye and their habit of sliding off rocks and logs when startled. Older turtles are often covered with a thick coat of algae. You see these regularly out at San Domingo's Peoples’ Hollow Lake.