one of nature's unusual creatures - the horned toad – dwells in the desert areas of the southwest united states. sometimes reaching as much as 150 degrees. the soil surface temperature of this region suits the fantastic horned toad just fine. in fact, the hotter the temperature, the better the horned toad likes it. only a few inches long, these funny, flat little creatures are actually lizards, not toads. in spite of their strange shape and spikes, they are perfectly harmless to human beings.