The beloved Texas horned lizard has many nicknames: horny toad, horned frog, horned toad. Many people have childhood memories of playing with the docile little reptiles and being thrilled to see one shoot blood from its eyes. But today, those same people have noticed horned lizards have pretty much disappeared. Habitat loss, use of pesticide, fire ants and decline of harvester ants (a favorite food) formed a perfect storm and put horny toads on the Texas Threatened Species List. But we’re working to get our state reptile back on the map. Reintroduction of a species is a complicated task. This year, we and our partners bred horned lizards and released the hatchlings at Mason Mountain WMA. We hope some will survive, establish nests and have offspring. Meanwhile, we’ll continue to learn more about captive breeding and hatchling release, and keep fighting to bring back our horny toads
THE BATTLE TO BRING BACK HORNED LIZARDS
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