I found myself staying in Los Angeles for a couple of nights for a business trip. Meeting and flight times had worked together to leave me with some late afternoon time free before one of the longest of long-hauls back to Singapore. I decided to use the time to search for a little creature that had eluded me despite several previous attempts to find it. Could I find an elusive Horned Lizard?

With a late-night flight out of LAX airport ahead of me, I couldn’t go too far from the city, so I decide to head to the Santa Monica Mountains. My rental car huffed and puffed its way up the steep and winding road, passing the immaculate residences of the rich and famous. On and on until time and the level of gasoline in my tank encouraged me to park in a pull-in at a trailhead.

I fished my camera out of my luggage. As I assembled my photography equipment I heard a sound that sent my spine into a shiver. A heavy snort and breathing from behind the scrub alongside me that could only belong to one thing. I dove back into the car and waited. For sure there was a black bear out there. Moments later came the sound of barking as two extremely large dogs chased away the hidden bear.

Finally, I found the courage to get out of the car, unsure of whether I was more nervous of an unseen bear or two angry attack dogs. I moved quickly through the first section of the trail to avoid both, although also kind of hopeful that I could photograph a bear.

It was the first day of June and the mountains were magnificent. The blazing rays of the golden sun were soothed by a mild mountain breeze. Shades of green were polka-dotted with bursts of wildflowers, and butterflies danced on pillows of perfumed air.

The dry, dusty earth appeared to move with an abundance of bugs that hopped and scuttled away from my footfall. It looked like perfect reptile habitat, but I had not been to the area before, so I was searching blind.

As my boots scuffed along the track I started to spot scurrying reptiles. Firstly, the abundant Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), then the Common side-blotched lizard (Uta stansburiana). A large Western whiptail (Aspidoscelis tigris) dashed out from the scrub to grab a fat juicy cricket in front of me before zooming off to devour its prize.

I walked further along the track when I spotted a strange looking rope. My heart bounced in my chest when I realised that the rope was a huge Gopher snake woven through tangled vegetation. I couldn’t see the head, so I snapped a phone shot for ID purposes and then tried for a better photograph. As soon as I took a step forward the Gopher snake slithered at high speed into the undergrowth.

In the distance, I could see the shape of a large mammal loping along the track. At first, I thought that I must have been one of the not so friendly attack dogs from earlier, but took a photograph just in case it was a coyote. As I zoomed in on the photograph I couldn’t believe my eyes – it was my first ever sighting of a Bobcat.

I continued walking until I reached the high point of the trail. The track narrowed and butter-yellow flowers bloomed on both sides. My eyes darted from side to side as fence lizards and crickets created constant movement in the scrub. Then something else ran kind of mouse-like into some dried twigs but didn’t come out the other side. I leaned forward to see if I could find it.

My eyes focused and started untangling the dried knots, when suddenly I perceived what it was that I was looking at. Looking back at me with its head tilted to one side was a little plump spiky lizard. I had finally found my horned lizard!

In the distant days of my childhood, I had kept amphibians and reptiles as pets. A horned lizard was without a doubt my favorite of the reptiles I kept. In the pre-internet age of limited information, I had been too young to realise that the pet trade was a force for harm to this and other species. Now, as a traveler and photographer, I have become obsessed with finding some of my most loved pet species in the wild, where they belong.

This was a wonderful moment for me. In years gone by I had spent fruitless days searching the scorched earth of Death Valley for this reptile. Finally, I found it just outside California’s sprawling City of Angels.

As I walked on I found more horned lizards. One little beauty sat looking up at me in the middle of the track. It is extremely rare for me to handle a wild creature. As a photographer of small things, I prefer in-situ shots and I dislike seeing a little creature stressed just for a photograph. Having kept the species as a pet, I knew that a horned lizard could be as chilled as a spliff-smoking sloth, so I put my hand down to it. The lizard just tilted its head while looking at me, so I gently lifted it.

I admired its astonishing detail for a few moments. The horns on the lizard’s head are hard, but the spikes covering its body feel soft to touch. I lowered it down and opened my hand to let it run back to the track. It didn’t run. The spiny little patty just flattened itself to my palm, seemingly enjoying the heat from above and below.

I stayed with the lizard for a little while, letting it use my hand as a sun lounger. It didn’t leave of its own accord, so I gently lifted it and placed it safely off the track alongside some scrub for a bit of air cover from predators.

There are 21 different species of horned lizard, 15 of which live in the United States. The species that I founding the Santa Monica Mountains was the Blainville’s Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma blainvillii). Like many horned lizards, blainvillii is a species in decline. As usual, habitat loss caused by humans is a big problem, but also the spread of invasive ant species is having an impact. The Harvester ant is an important food source making up 70% of the horned lizard’s diet. It appears that other ant species do not provide a suitable alternative.

Moments after I had placed my little friend back on the ground I spotted another, and my final horned lizard. It was nicely positioned for a photograph, so I took some in-situ habitat and portrait shots.

I left the little lizard basking on its rock and went in search of more. As is so often the case with wildlife, just when you think you have figured out how to find them you stop finding them. It didn’t matter, I had already been blessed with several beautiful encounters.

With time slipping away from me, I walked briskly back to the car. The sun was sinking and I had a lot to do before getting on my flight home. As my car snaked its way back down the mountains I smiled to myself. What an amazing way to make the most of a few hours before a long flight – a snuffling bear, a loping bobcat, a basking snake, sunshine, and scenery. Best of all was the little spiky dinosaur that I had wanted to see in its natural habitat for so long – a wild horned lizard!

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Categories: USATags: animals, environment, herping, lizards, Nature, photography, Reptiles, Travel, USA, wildlife