Have you ever seen a creature like this before?
This strange "thing"crossed my path while on the roadway. Being the curious person that I am, I turned around to check it out. It was about 12 inches long, yellow, orange, beige and black. AND its toes were humongous and long!
At first I thought that it may be someones pet that got out but this "thing" was too mean looking to be someones pet. It was the mean look that got me! You know the kind of look your mama gave you when you were naughty......That kind of look. When it turned a couple of times and gave me "that look" I can sincerely say that I was scared. Then it puffed up at me.... 
I used the zoom feature on my lens to take this picture since I didn't want to go close to it for fear that it may attack me. Yes, I am a curious coward and proud to admit it.
I forgot to mention that I was driving on Reems road in Surprise. I stopped fairly close to the fire station on the corner of Reems and Mountain View.
I am from Hawaii and we have the Chameleon Lizards there. This creature was way different! It reminded me of the creatures on the Simsons - the ones that had mutated due to the nuclear waste that Homer was throwing into the lake.
Does anyone out there have any idea what this may be?
I believe it is called a "Horned Toad". If you google it, you will see several types of them...and this sure looks like one!
It's not an iguana???? I know someone that had a pet iguana and this kinda/sorta looks like it.
Paula, I googled Horned Toad and this did not resemble it.
I think an Iguana has spiny things down its back and a little greener...and a little scarier looking...but I could be wrong!
Mary, I always wanted to get an iguana and checked it out a couple of years ago. If it were one, I sure was fooled.
It's a SURPRISE!
Paula, I believe that an iguana will camouflage with the background. This was one of those days that I wished I had a flip recorder.
LYNN,,,YES, it is a Surprise in Surprise!! LOL
Try Yellow backed spiny lizard! Looks pretty darned close!
I grew up in Nevada (Las Vegas area) I have seen similar lizards but never that coloring.
It does look to be in horned family. It will be interesting to see if you can find out
what it is. I be watching this post since now I also want to know.
Hmm...I know this much...I haven't seen any of those in South Carolina!
Jeremy, Excellent! Myrtle Beach may be my new home. :)
OK..that would totally freak me out!!! One time I was eating fish on the river and a rattle snake came up to me!!! Yikes
Actually... it looks like a few of the loan officers and agents I used to work with in a previous office in the late 1990's. LOL. Just kidding... :) I wonder if it tastes anything like chicken ?
Jeff, LOL! I was freaked out! I have never seen such an ugly mean creature. I think that it was living in the vacant field and was probably chased out with the advent of construction. For the people that eat lizards, this one would be rubbery and bitter.
Karen, I know exactly what you mean!
Now thats a cool looking lizard! You should have caught it and made it your pet :)
Tony, Make it my pet huh not very likely. As I was watching it my mind was running with thoughts such as ...it may lunge at me and take a healthy bite off my toe. :)
this is a interesting looking creatute and blends in to the suroundings very well.
They're not a horny toad- they have a rounder body. My cats have brought in a few of these lately, and I'm not sure what they are. I used to teach Biology, but I don't recognize them.
I agree Leslie, it is not a horny toad. Now I know how I am going to be spending my open house free time today. :-)
Roland, It is interesting. I am sure glad that I didn't see it in my backyard because I would be moving to my little grass shack in Hawaii.
Leolinda, great photos! 12" long is huge for a lizard I think. I don't blame you for not wanting it as a pet. What would you have to feed the thing...small mice!?
Leolinda, OMG I think I found out which lizard it is! check out this link What do you think?
Hey!!!Wait a minute!!! Lori and I agree...but look about 15 comments above Lori's! We must both be brilliant!
Paula and Lori: You both are BRILLIANT! Yes, the website picture resembles the creature. Can you imagine coming face to face with one of these lizards? I am still shuttering at the thought.
Leolinda, did you read the behavior summary? It says.... it has a strong jaw and often bites when captured. Good thing you DIDN'T try to pick it up!
Possibly a baby Gila Monster (who hasn't got his colors yet) or a Yellow Spotted Lizard
Heidi, That was exactly my thought when I first saw it!
Lori, I brought my dog with me when I moved to Arizona. One day she was barking at something in the stacked wood pile on the side of my home. At first I was going to put my hand into the opening and move the wood around to see what it was. Luckily, I decided to use a piece of wood to move around the stacked logs. Yep, it was a Gila monster! About 3 feet long with a gigantic tail - very thick and about 2 inches in diameter.
Picture this:I moved from Hawaii the week before and there are NO SNAKES in Hawaii. It scared the beegebers out of me. I called the police who called some rescue organization. They were at my home in a flash - just like the ghost busters! The Gila Monster was captured and placed in a bucket for transportation. I peeked in and will NEVER forget what I saw.
Since then I've had the sense not to put my hands or feet anywhere that is dark or in front of any creature - including pets.
We have a lot of interesting creatures here in Florida... but this is a new one. I've got to check out the horned toad... FREAKY!
Don't know or even want to and glad they're not in West Virginia. I surely hope it isn't some non-native species that someone has just willy-nilly turned loose. I live not so far from Maryland where the notorious snake head fish was set loose in the Patuxent River. Hope you figure it out.
Debbie, It was a new one on me! I am like the Indiana Jones of the West - I don't like snakes and now I don't like foreign alien looking creatures. :)
Debbie Small:
The snake head fish looks pretty scary. Whomever released the fish into the lake needs to be prosecuted. I wonder if the fish would attack someone swimming..like in JAWS??? I am so afraid of swimming after seeing Jaws. I don't even want to go into a pool. LOL Can you imagine me with this creature? LOL
I don't know what it is but I don't want to be shaking one out of my boots in the morning.
I am sure that Lori Franks has it right - It's a Desert Spiny Lizard. Don't worry about these lizards as they are all over here in Arizona. As a matter of fact, we have many in our back yard and my son now has one as a pet. His is the twin-spotted spiny lizard. He enjoys watching it rapidly vibrate it's tail before eating live crickets.
Troy, I believe that Lori is correct. Be careful. According to what Lori found out "it has a strong jaw and often bites when captured".
Well it sure has good camoflage going for itself. You can barely see it in the first pic.
Georgina, I am accustomed to the mongoose since I grew up in Hilo, but this little creature is totally foreign to me.