by Alison Helzer, age 8
Third Grade, Trent School
Pleasant Hill, Oregon

Last summer I got to camp in the Great Basin desert with my mom who is an archeologist with the University of Oregon. We camped near the town of Fort Rock.

While my mom was digging in a 4000 year old Indian house, I had time to explore in the sagebrush. One of the things I saw was a pygmy horned lizard. Some people call them horny toads, but they are not toads at all.

The first one I saw ran across my path as I was walking through the sagebrush. I was startled at first, but when I looked closely I saw a fat little lizard with lots of spines. It was not fast like a fence lizard. It just stayed put when I reached down to touch it.

When I held it, it didn't feel spiny at all. It calmed down pretty fast and within a couple of minutes it was sunbathing on my knee. After a time I let it go. My mom said that I should not let my dog sniff it because the horned lizards that live in some parts of the country can squirt blood out of some small glands by their eyes. This behavior happens when they are frightened or threatened. I don't know if the horned lizards that live in Oregon do this or not. The lizard I handled did not squirt blood.

The trick to catching one is to have sharp eyes for movements in the sagebrush and to be fast with your hands. Don't worry, they don't bite. They are interesting creatures.

Always treat them gently and never take them home. The one I caught was my friend for an hour, and then I let it go. I caught one lizard with a crooked tail that I let go after a half hour. I caught the same lizard a couple of days later near the spot where I let it go.

A month later I was on a day trip to the coast. I saw an alligator lizard in the rocks near the ocean. My dad didn't believe me so I showed it to him. He told me not to try to catch it because they bite. He was surprised to see this lizard living so close to the ocean.