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I live in San Diego and the only horned lizards I've seen in recent years outdoors were inland. I was wondering if there have been any sightings anywhere near the coast recently in San Diego County. I would think that there could still be some left in a few isolated sandy undisturbed locations where the exotic ants haven't killed off the native ones that will appear once spring comes.

They are or can be found on the Marine Corps base Los Pulgas and other areas above Oceanside where urban sprawl has not taken place. Lester Milroy may be able to comment further. I know they were found near Torry Pines years ago, Lester any comments?
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signature file edited. [phw 11/14/04]

i live near in san diego california.. there are still some horneds around the coast but there numbers have dropped tremedously! there are a few in torrey pines state reserve, but there future seems bleak beacuse there are argentinian ants that prey on there harvester ants...this whole cycle is very sad to see happen to such a great animal.
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eric

It is sad to see them die out from their historical range, but they are still thick in many areas. They have quite a wide range, and although a lot of it is under development, there is still quite a significant portion left to them.
Those argentine ants are the scarey part though. I saw them attacking P. californicus in Moorpark and they were winning. Most likely only the Coastals in the drier climates will be left in another 20 years.
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I'm not a collector like I was when I was a kid growing up in Riverside back in the 60's. There was a sizeable population in the sandy areas near the Islander when we moved there which now borders the Box Springs Reserve. I'd catch any anake or lizard I could find except for Rattlers abd looked under rocks, boards, and other things as well. Looking under stuff was like a box of chocolate, you didn't know what you were going to get. There were about a dozen speecies of lizards, and ones that did the best captive were Alligator Lizards. I let the rest go in the back yard although skinks and geckos were cool too, and my mother wouldn't let me keep the snakes in the house so they stayed in the garage.

The last time I saw horned lizards wild near the coast was in the 70's in an orchard where I worked on a hill in Carlsbad which now is developed. I hike a lot and only once in a great while I'd see one inland in some isolated area.

It would be great if one could go back in time before dams, development, and the proliferation of non-native ants to find them in San Diego. On historic times when the mouth of the San Diego River alternated between the "False Bay" now Mission Bay and San Diego Bay, I would expect to find them in the sandy areas near the deltas and surrounding plains.

I wish the Harvester Ants could retake the area to improve these magnificient creatures chances, and they also help some native plants by harvesting the seeds. It seems like the Argentinian Ants don't tolerate persistant heat or dryness as well as the native ones, so only the areas that are undisturbed or have a less hospitable climate will support these guys in the future.

I wonder what kind of impact the Cedar Fire has had on ants and horned lizards. The lizards that came from eggs about that time should be mature by this year.

I was down at Torry Pines this last week and it looks like a good place. Perhaps far enough away from houses so the roaming cats and dogs don't have too much impact. Lot's of people though. This is the kind of sensitive habitat where collection probably would have a significant impact. Most of the area looked like pretty good habitat. You would have to find areas on the coast that are not too close to homes (cats), have a good supply of harvester ants and aren't too choked off with overgrown vegitation.

We had a fire up near Lancaster about three four years ago now and I've been watching it over these years to see how it might return to normal. The ants in the area are thriving due to the reduction in bushy growth and the return of more grass, providing seeds. This last summer was the first that I saw the slow return of horned lizards. Honestly, I think in the end it will be a stronger habitat than the unburned areas due to the reduction in thick undergrowth and the more abundant ants. It's a natural cycle which man has seen fit to disrupt by putting out every smoking ember.
Just some thoughts.
Again, Lester probably has more scientific study that could shed some light here.

Here are a couple of interesting links on coastals.

Range and Pics

Argentine ant impact

Coastals in San Diego

Coastals in El Segundo Dunes
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