Border agents in San Diego arrest man with 52 snakes and lizards in his clothing

• Border officials say a man drove into San Diego with 52 snakes and lizards in his clothes.
• The slithery critters were 'concealed in the man's jacket, pants pockets and groin area.'

Border agents say a 30-year-old guy in a GMC truck was itching to get into the US from Mexico — with 52 lizards and snakes hidden in his clothing.

The reptiles included 42 horned lizards — also known as horntoads or horny toads — which are illegal to keep in captivity.

US Customs and Border Protection announced the man's arrest on Tuesday, saying they had thwarted "a significant smuggling attempt" at the San Diego border.

"Please, don't do this," biologist and horned lizard expert Cheryl Jenkins advised would-be smugglers in an interview with Insider after news of the crawly catch broke Wednesday.

"Removing species from the wild is never a good idea," said Jenkins, who is president elect of the Horned Lizard Conservation Society.

CBP agents, working a tip, stopped the alleged smuggler at 3 in the morning on February 25, as he drove his 2018 pickup into the San Ysidro border crossing, officials said.

"A personal search of the driver was conducted and CBP officers found several bags of live animals," officials said.

The reptiles were identified as "43 horned lizards and nine snakes, which were concealedin the man's jacket, pants pockets, and groin area," the CBP announcement said.

"Smugglers will try every possible way to try and get their product, or in this case live reptiles, across the border," said Sidney Aki, CBP Director of Field Operations in San Diego.

The alleged smuggler was not identified; officials said only that he was a US citizen who was turned over to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigators and Fish and Wildlife Services for further processing.

Jenkins said the border agents' photo of the confiscated lizards appear to show three or four different species of horned lizard from different desert regions of Mexico. Some of them appear to be endangered species, she said.

"I've been doing horned lizard surveys and research for 20 years, and they're difficult to find," she said. "They hide and camoflage very well. I'd be surprised if this was a one-man operation."

Horned lizards are very popular on the illicit pet market, she said.

"They're cute, they're docile, and when you do find one in the wild they're very easy to catch," she said.

But captivity will doom most of the captured reptiles.

"They have very specific diet and climate requirements; they need heat, and UV light, and most only eat a very specific kind of ant that is native to their region," she said.

"People will end up feeding them meal worms and crickets, which are not good for them."

Typically, captive horned lizards become emaciated and die, she said.

"These guys look like they're pretty healthy, though," she said, adding that her conservation organization also provides references to groups that rescue and rehabilitate horned lizards that find their way into the pet trade.