Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world. In the arid plains and rocky deserts of North America, a ...

When it comes to creative survival tactics in the animal kingdom, few creatures can compete with a small, spiky reptile that weaponizes its own blood. The greater short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma ...

A lizard on a wall is so common that most of us don't even notice it anymore. It appears for a few seconds, freezes in place, ...

When you think of “gory” animals, creatures like great white sharks, tigers, and vampire bats might come to mind. But the most gruesome defense mechanism of any animal belongs to something much ...

In a poll a decade ago, some 12 million Americans suggested that lizard people were in control of the government. Today, we’re finally seeing at least one similar-but-not-really manifestation: a Texas ...

Out in the dry scrublands of the American West, a squat, spine-covered reptile spends its days nearly invisible against the sand, dust and stone. The greater short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi ...

When my grandson Parker was 11 years old, he called me from a coastal island with exciting news. Problem was I took the call outside a restaurant with people jabbering and at a spot where I had a ...