Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world.

Why they're awesome: Greater short-horned lizards have a squat, flat shape and short snouts, which makes them look more like amphibians than reptiles — hence the nickname "horny toads." But these ...

STAMFORD — There’s probably not much chance that if you grew up in Texas and are of a certain age that you didn’t catch and keep a horned lizard as a pet. Of course, you called it a horny toad because ...