Why they're awesome: Greater short-horned lizards have a squat, flat shape and short snouts, which makes them look more like amphibians than reptiles — hence the nickname "horny toads." But these ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. I write about biodiversity and the hidden quirks of the natural world.

I nearly crushed it beneath my boot. A little over a week ago, I was hiking down the Bogert Trail when something very tiny scampered out from underneath my boot — just in time to avoid being squashed.