A friend more familiar with lizards than I thought it might be a Texas spiny lizard. The next day, I rooted around the web for more info and images. (Some resources will be about additional spiny lizards and likewise spiky-looking horned lizards.)
"WILD ABOUT TEXAS: Texas spiny lizards harmless, helpful" provides good, moderate amount of info about my animal of interest.
often called "tree lizards" or "fence lizards" by those who are lucky enough to witness them, and for good reason. Texas spiny lizards are highly arboreal, spending much of their time above the ground in oak, pecan or mesquite trees. Wooden fenceposts are also a favorite, …For stepping back and taking a bigger-picture look at lizards, visit "A List of Different Types of Lizards With Facts and Images", which has loads of overall info and pretty pix. Note: the family categorization WRT spiny lizards goes down to only "Phrynosomatidae Family".
adult males frequently achieving lengths of nearly 11 inches. … The lizard's belly is usually cream colored, and males have two blue patches on either side of their belly. The tail is quite long.
Click the taxonomy tab of "Phrynosomatid Lizards (Family Phrynosomatidae)" to view the subfamilies of Phrynosomatinae, which include Horned Lizards (Genus Phrynosoma) and Sceloporinae Spiny Lizards (Genus Sceloporus). The Texas spiny lizard a member of this genus, as is the desert spiny lizard.
For deeper drilldown of taxonomy of Phrynosomatidae > Sceloporinae > Spiny Lizards (Genus Sceloporus) > Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus), visit "Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus)". View numerous pix at "Photos of Texas Spiny Lizard (Sceloporus olivaceus)". For kin spiny lizards (seemingly close cousins), visit "Spiny Lizards (Genus Sceloporus)".
Horned lizards are similar to spiny lizards. Organization is Phrynosomatinae > Horned Lizards (Genus Phrynosoma)".
Many of the resources I list are videos because they contain many more visual details of these animals than static pages. Note the similarities in name and looks among Texas spiny lizard, desert spiny lizard, and Texas horned lizard. Another lizard in my following mix is the regal honed lizard.
"Reptile - Lizard: Texas Spiny Lizard" has good views and general info about the female lizard.
"Wild Desert Spiny Lizard Loves Flies" shows best profile view at about 1:00. the narrator for "Desert Spiny Lizard" provides good views and general info about the male lizard.
At "Spiny Lizard Catches Me!", most footage of the desert spiny lizard starts at about 8:30. Other significant items (at front end of video) are a large fallen saguaro cactus and small diamondback rattlesnake. The lizard's tongue, viewable for about a split second, shows up at 12:54 mark. (The lizard's tongue is significant in my Supergirl reference farther down.)
In "Lizard Covered in SPIKES?!", the animal is a Regal Horned Lizard, but skin spikiness is similar to a spiny lizard. This video includes a roadrunner without audio of "Beep! Beep!" View another spiky lizard—the Texas horned lizard which has Texas state fame.
Texas designated the Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) the official state reptile in 1993. … Known variously as a horned toad, horny toad, and horned frogA recent Supergirl episode featured a spiky lizard. "Supergirl 4x06 Kara fights a Dragon (HD)" shows Spike, a girl's alien lizard that transforms into a flying, flame-breathing dragon. Spike is mostly in dim lighting while in the terrarium near the clip's start, on the floor later, and in Supergirl's arms near the clip's end. Spike as lizard has a pointy head and long tongue.
Spike as dragon has a more rounded jaw, not-obvious tongue as he blows flames outward. Imho, if not for wings and fire-breathing and outsize scale (size, not dermis), he resembles the Texas spiny lizard.
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