- Whew, that sun is rising quick, isn't it?
- [Cameraman] Yeah, it's gettin' warm out here already.
- Woo, oh right there.
Look at that.
- [Cameraman] What do you see?
- You see it right up underneath this cactus.
- [Cameraman] I don't see anything.
- Look at it,
it looks just like a rock.
Look at the sand, zoom in tight,
and you see a dark shape. - Oh!
- [Coyote] Do you know what that is?
- [Cameraman] Is that a lizard?
- [Coyote] That is a lizard.
- [Cameraman] It looks spiky.
- [Coyote] It is spiky.
- [Cameraman] Are you gonna catch it?
- You want me to, right?
- [Cameraman] I mean yeah,
but it's not gonna hurt your hand, is it?
- I guess we're about to find out.
- [Cameraman] Alright, hold on hold.
- And it is underneath prickly pear cactus.
And the only way I was able to see it
is I saw a little bit of movement out of corner my eye
and this is exactly what I was hoping
we'd come across today.
Alright, you ready?
- [Cameraman] Yeah.
- One,
oh boy.
Two,
three.
(yells)
(intense music)
(serene music)
- Every time I step foot into the desert,
my eyes began immediately begin searching for animals.
And while the environment is most certainly
laced with biological land mines,
like plants covered in spikes,
these hazards for humans
often times provide shelter and protection
for a wide variety of creatures.
Arizona's Sonoran Desert
is one of my favorite places to explore.
And whether I'm encountering snakes,
look at that,
look how long and beautiful that snake is.
Spiders or scorpions in back of my mind,
I'm always hoping to stumble upon my favorite lizard.
And all it takes is being in the right place
at the right time.
This is exactly what I was hoping we'd come across today.
All right, your ready?
- [Cameraman] Yeah.
- One,
oh boy.
Two,
three.
(yells)
(breathing rapidly)
Just kidding (cackles).
Do you know what this is?
- [Cameraman] Oh yeah.
- This is the Regal Horned Lizard.
One of the most iconic species that you'll find
here in the Sonoran Desert.
And actually, this is my absolute favorite lizard
in the world.
And the way that these lizards actually avoid predators,
is I'm gonna put him down on the sand,
tilt your camera down here.
Look at this.
Look at that camouflage.
You see how camouflaged that lizard is?
Look at that.
Now when it puffs up it's body and flattens itself down,
the way that they'll actually hide
is to partially bury themselves underneath the sand.
And you see that cryptic coloration
in all of these scales?
And the skin looks just like this rocky and sandy terrain.
And that's why when we walked up
you said, "Are you really looking at something?"
And it does, it really looks like a rock.
And the only way I was able to spot this lizard
is because it's head moved
and I saw a little bit of movement
out of the corner of my eye.
And I said oh, there it is,
there's a horned lizard.
Now, when I grabbed this lizard,
I kind of played it up and made you guys
think it was gonna be spiky and hurt my hand.
But all the spines that run along the side of the body
and on the back are nothing more than modified scales.
The only true horns, or spikes, on these lizards,
is right on the back of the head there.
These are very sharp and those are bone
and they're actually connected to the skull.
Now that's a defense for these lizards against predators.
Let's say a snake, like a coachwhip,
comes into this environment and manages to catch
one of these lizards,
these spines would get stuck in it's throat,
and then hopefully the lizard wouldn't become a meal.
- [Cameraman] So that's not spiky at all?
- No, this lizard is not spiky at all.
Actually, Mark, you wanna reach your hand out here
and feel?
Go ahead.
- [Mark] Like I said, I just don't believe it.
- Touch the lizard, feel that.
- [Mark] Oh wow.
- It just feels like sandpaper, doesn't it?
- [Mark] It is really, really soft.
- [Coyote] Actually, you wanna know what's really soft?
Pet it's belly.
- [Mark] Oh wow.
- [Coyote] Isn't that crazy?
- [Mark] That's awesome.
- Now, you'll notice that this lizard
is kind of puffing up it's body.
That is another defense mechanism.
What they'll do is they'll stand up on all four legs,
puff up their body,
and go whoa, whoa towards a predator.
Now, if you are a coyote or a bobcat
and you came into the environment
and you saw this lizard all puffed up covered in spikes,
you probably think to yourself,
yeah, that doesn't look like something that I want to eat.
However, if puffing up the body doesn't deter a predator,
this lizard is actually capable of
shooting two little streams of blood
right from the corner of it's eyes.
- [Mark] So, Coyote, these lizards are actually
significant to you.
You have a story behind these.
- They are.
Not only is this truly my favorite lizard,
but this lizard is responsible for
giving me the nickname, Coyote.
Now the way that happened is when I was a little kid
about eight years old,
my mom used to bring me out here to the Sonoran Desert
and I would look for these lizards.
However, because of their camouflage,
they're difficult to find.
Now one of their main predators is the roadrunner.
So what I would do is search for roadrunners.
I would follow those roadrunners
hoping that they would lead me to the horned lizards.
My mom would watch me doing this and would say to herself,
"You know what you're kinda like?
"You're kinda like Wile E. Coyote
"from the Warner Bros. Cartoon."
And then she started called me Coyote.
So this little lizard, the Regal Horned Lizard,
is responsible for giving me the nickname, Coyote.
How cool is that?
Now there are many species of lizards
out here in the desert.
Most of them you probably would never be able to catch.
This is one that's actually slow enough
that you can handle it.
And because it's non-venomous and they do not bite,
I would actually say this something to pick up and admire.
However, you want to be extremely gentle.
You see I'm barely holding onto the lizard.
They will still totally calm in your hand.
Look at that,
not even applying pressure to the legs or the body.
It's just sitting up on my fingers.
However, if you catch one of these lizards
out here in the desert,
definitely make sure you release it right away.
This does not make a good pet.
They stress very easily in captivity
and have a very selective diet.
They actually only eat ants,
will not eat crickets, will not eat meal worms.
If you catch a horned lizard,
admire it and then place it right back in the desert.
All right, well it's getting pretty warm out here.
I'm already breaking a sweat.
We better get this lizard back up underneath
it's prickly pear cactus.
I'm Coyote Peterson,
be brave.
Stay wild!
We'll see you on the next adventure.
See you later little guy.
(soft piano music)
Catching a horned lizard is pretty simple.
But do you know what lizard species is not easy to catch?
The desert iguana.
Make sure to go back and watch
one of my most epic lizard catches ever.
And don't forget,
subscribe so you can join me and the crew
on this season of Breaking Trail.
(water splashing)
Got him!
(cheering)
Did you guys see that?
(laughing)
Could you see his little head sticking up?
(wings flapping) (birds chirping)