Tim Scott, age 13, of Clifton, Ariz., for his question:

What does a horned toad eat?

The lucky fellow who lives in Arizona can walk out into the sunny desert and find a horned toad for himself. People who live in most other parts of the Country may purchase one in a pet store. In any case, the little charmer soon becomes a tame, friendly pet.

We all know, of course, that the horned toad is not really a toad at all. The true toad is an amphibian, and our flat, spiky horned toad is not an amphibian. He is a reptile and a lizard. Prissy peop1e sometimes refer to him as the horned lizard. He belongs to the Iguanidae family of lizards. Most of these 700 iguanids are natives of the New World. In fact, most of our native lizards are members of this family.

All the iguanids have hands with five clawed fingers and feet with five clawed toes. They can dig themselves burrows or climb trees and bushes. Some live in woods and forests, some prefer grasslands or bushy hillsides and some live by the sea. The horned toad enjoys life on our arid and semiarid deserts and prairies. He is a somewhat lazy fellow who prefers to watch the world go by while lying flat and half buried in the sunny sand.

The horned toad does not exert himself to dig a burrow or climb a tree. He covers himself with sand by shuffling his body from side to side. In his natural surroundings he does not have to work hard to make a living, for his favorite food is quite plentiful. He enjoys a diet of insects, especially ants.. Somet3mes he eats a spider, and once in a while he catches a frog or small mouse.

In captivity, the horned toad needs a variety of grubs and live bugs. And remember, he is especially fond of ants. He soon gets to know you and becomes a tame and friendly pet. He may learn to eat from your hand and safely accept a scrap of hamburger or liver without biting your fingers. Remember when planning his diet that he LS a meat eater of small items, and he prefers his food live. In planning his home, remember his preference for arid conditions. Serve his water on moist leaves, and he wil1 lap up what he needs. And keep his dry, sandy terrarium at at least 70 degrees, or he will go off his food.

Thcre are 15 species of horned toads, with variations in color, size and the number and length of spiky, horns. Not one of them can be called handsome. But when you adopt one and learn to know him as a pet, his odd appearance is soon forgotten.