Horny toads raised at Fort Worth Zoo are having babies in wild. Here’s why it matters
Texas researchers didn’t expect to discover a “milestone” in the revival of the state’s official reptile.
Staff members at Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area in the Hill Country had been surveying for ants when they stumbled upon six baby Texas horned lizards from parents hatched in captivity.
For years, the state has been trying to revive the threatened species and these hatchlings were the offspring of horned lizards — better known as horny toads or horned toads — raised at the Fort Worth Zoo. The half-dozen hatchlings came from two different clutches, officials said.
“That means that some of our reintroduced hatchlings have survived long enough to begin reproducing!” Kerr & Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area posted on Facebook. “To our knowledge, this is the first time that Texas Horned Lizards that were reintroduced as captive-reared hatchlings have successfully reproduced in the wild.”
Previously distributed throughout the state, the Texas horned lizard population dropped significantly and the species was listed as threatened in 1977. Their range also includes Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico.
The Texas horned lizard has numerous horns and it’s the only species with a dark brown stripes from extending from its eyes.
Among its defenses, the horned lizard can squirt a stream of blood from its eyes. It also blends in with vegetation and can inflate to appear larger.
Kerr & Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area said the discovery of six hatchlings meant their revitalization “passed another milestone” but the effort continues and more hatchlings raised at the Fort Worth Zoo will soon be released.
“We are still a long way from having a self-sustaining population of horned lizards,” Kerr & Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area said. “In fact, we still don’t know that we can get there, but this gives us hope!”
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 5:20 PM with the headline "Horny toads raised at Fort Worth Zoo are having babies in wild. Here’s why it matters."