Round 1
20 characters!: Leaf shaped teeth, longer gutPhrynosoma saladdont
The Blunt-toothed Horned lizard appears the same for the most part on the outside, using their flat bodies to try to blend into their kelp covered beach environment, difficult to do as they just don't have the coloration to hide in the rotting vegetation. Finding it hard to subsist on the few insects there are on the beach, these animals took to trying to scrounge a living from plants as well. Their teeth have become blunter than before, allowing them to chew the plants a bit easier. This is little compensation when their jaws are weak, and have a hard time working with the small teeth to grind the plants properly. The stomach, adapted to digesting insects, has a difficult time digesting what can be chewed, but it's not a complete loss, as the intestines have grown a bit longer, allowing for some more nutrients to be absorbed before the plants are excreted. The lizards search for softer plant matter as such, a rarity on the beach.
Status: Endangered: You have more food but you're an easy snack.
Diet: Small insects, soft or rotted plants
Threats: Harpy Eagle, Ocelot
ClassyAmoeba: Bigger horns, better camouflage for the beach
Phrynosoma keratinus
These lizards took famine over being an easy snack for predators. They have developed brown streaks going down their bodies, giving them an appearance akin to that of the rotten kelp that litters their home. If the camouflage and fleeing fail, the horns on their head have grown a few centimeters longer. They aren't as appealing of a snack, as many predators find themselves getting pricked if they bite for the head or neck. However, they still eat only insects, a difficult life when most of them lie in the forest.
Status: Vulnerable. You're not eaten as much, but you have little food.
Diet: Small insects
Threats: Harpy Eagle, Ocelot
AlexanderML: Webbed feet, green coloration
Phrynosoma doggypaddlus
The Shallow Horned lizard took to the water, evolving small bits of webbing between their feet to allow them to swim. Unlike most other aquatic reptiles, which propel themselves with their tail, this lizard swims by kicking with its feet. It's difficult for these small lizards to fight the waves, often being tossed back onto the shore, and furthermore they cannot hold their breath for long. Still, the ability to swim has given them a small boon, in that small fish are now on their menu. These lizards have also turned brownish-green. They do their best to hide amongst the kelp, but their coloration seems more suited to life in a jungle than in rotting kelp.
Status: Endangered. You have a bit more food but you're a green lizard trying to hide in dead, brown, dried up kelp.
Diet: Small insects, small fish
Threats: Harpy eagle, Ocelot
DehEvil: More upright legs, frill
Phrynosoma nedrii
The Skittering Horned lizard is a bit taller than its cousins. Rather than drag themselves on the ground, these lizards hold themselves a few tiny centimeters above. Their legs have lost a bit of their sprawl, turning slowly instead to a design utilized by a group of reptiles that had died out long ago. By no longer dragging themselves, they're able to run a bit faster than their cousins, making them harder to catch. However if they go anywhere but in a straight line, they have a hard time. They have little balance with this design, no thanks to their short tail, and it's easy for them to fall over. This species is also using convergent evolution to its advantage. Small bits of cartilage have formed around the base of the skull, attached together by a small mane of skin. When this lizard is cornered, the lizard opens its mouth wide, expanding its rather small frill. This mostly works on the inexperienced juvenile predators, but adults don't quite fall for it.
Status: Endangered. You're still a relatively easy snack to catch, with your bluff defense being too small and your sense of balance gone. Plus you have little food.
Diet: Small insects
Threats: Harpy eagle, Ocelot
GabrielGG: Forest camouflage, stronger claws
Phrynosoma scratchii
The Forest Horned Lizard leads a double life. They abandoned the beach and took to the forest floor, though they return to the beach to lay their eggs in the sand, before quickly running back to the safety of the trees. They've developed a brownish green color, much like the Shallow Horned lizard, but in this environment it works, to a degree. They have plenty of places to hide in the undergrowth, though they don't quite blend into the foliage. Food is much more readily available as well. Arguably they are currently the most successful species. To top it off, their claws are slowly becoming stronger. This gives them a bit of a stronger grip, though they aren't yet strong enough for climbing.
Status: Vulnerable. Beyond the short time of exposure when your species lays its eggs in the sand, your species is doing fairly well in a tropical forest. However their camouflage isn't perfect yet.
Diet: Small insects
Threats: Harpy Eagle, Ocelot
Alexcat989: Upright legs, larger teeth
Phrynosoma muldoonii
The Fanged Horned Lizard is the direct relative of the Skittering Horned Lizard. They share the same upright posture, and thus the same lack of balance. The Fanged Horned lizard, however, comes better armed. The once minuscule fangs in their mouth have grown larger, giving them a bit of bite. They use this to some effect against predators, but their diminutive size and their rather weak jaws leave much to be desired. They do serve a purpose however. These lizards can eat larger insects than the others, simply thanks to the fact that they can now tear them apart with their teeth. Anything from an ant to a small cockroach is a meal.
Status: Endangered. You have more food but you are just one of the many snacks for the predators on the beach.
Diet: Insects
Threats: Harpy Eagle, Ocelot
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