This week we talked about one of my favorite animals. Ok, so maybe it is just my favorite because I went to TCU and it is their mascot. The Horned Toad, or horned frog as TCU calls them. The horned frog is not a frog at all it is actually a reptile. This reptile has a flat body and can be quite fierce looking with all of it's horns. The horned toad is found in open, rocky areas with little plants. In fact, the horned toad requires warm temperatures to stimulate it's appetite and activity. They sometimes begin their day by exposing only their head to sunlight while keeping their body buried. Later they will be seen in a flattened body posture sunning themselves in open areas. They are not active at night or when temperatures fall below 75 degrees F. They are seen mainly in the late spring through early fall and hibernate a few inches underground.
One special defense that the horned toad has it it's ability to spit blood at it's predators. It can shoot blood from it's eyes up to six feet away. This is not harmful to the animals, but it is distasteful and stuns the predators giving the horned toad time to escape. See the cool video here:
A clever book that is a twist on the fairy tale The Frog Prince is called The Horned Toad Prince. We read this book after we learned all about the horned toad. I teach a combination of English and Spanish speakers and my Spanish speakers loved to help me with the Spanish words in the book.
Afterwards, we made horned toad art and masks to wear.
