WILDLIFE AND BOWL GAMES: 25 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT "HORNED FROGS"

In advance of the TCU and Boise State Fiesta Bowl on Monday, the Fort Worth Star -Telegram offers up 25 things you should know about horned frogs (errr...horned lizards), including:

11. The horned lizard is Texas’ official state reptile.

12. The Texas horned lizard, once found throughout most of the state, basically has disappeared from eastern and central parts of Texas, and its numbers in North Texas are decreasing.

13. The reason for the Texas horned lizard’s decline is considered a mystery, although over-collection for the pet trade, the spread of the red imported fire ant that has reduced the population of the red harvester ant (its dietary preference), environmental contaminants and loss of habitat from agriculture and urban development are often cited as factors.

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22. Another great reason not to have a horned lizard as a pet: It is illegal in Texas, where the Texas horned lizard is on the threatened species list.

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24. A mad or scared horned lizard can squirt a 4- or 5-foot stream of blood from the corners of their eyes. (See TCU’s new helmets from Nike for that feature.)

25. Other than Super Frog, of course, the most famous horned lizard was Old Rip, which legend says survived 31 years inside the cornerstone of the Eastland County courthouse. Old Rip became quite the celebrity and, on a national tour, "met" President Calvin Coolidge in Washington, D.C. Old Rip’s remains lie in a coffin at the Eastland County Courthouse.

Read all 25 things on Star-Telegram.com.