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For the first time in Zoo Miami’s history, threatened Texas horned lizards have been hatched.
Working in collaboration with the Center for Conservation & Research at San Antonio Zoo as part of the Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project, Zoo Miami has established a satellite colony of Texas horned lizards to produce hatchlings under human care.
Working closely with San Antonio Zoo, these hatchlings eventually will be transported back to Texas, and in conjunction with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, be released in carefully selected sites within Texas.
Sometimes referred to as “horned frogs” or “horny toads,” this iconic animal is the official state lizard of Texas where it is listed as threatened and protected by law. Distinguished by the prominent horns on top of its head and rows of spiny scales along its sides, it averages between 3 to 5 inches in length.
They are found in dry habitats of grasslands, savannas, and deserts where their skin is specially adapted to absorb water from the dew and sand. The greatest threats to Texas horned lizards are the effects of invasive species, fragmentation of habitat, and the use of pesticides. They feed primarily on harvester ants which have been reduced due to competition from invasive fire ants.
Pesticides used to eliminate the fire ants also claim the native harvester ants as collateral damage thereby reducing a natural prey base. These threats have reduced the Texas horned lizard population by more than 30 pecent over the past 40 years.
The first eggs were laid at Zoo Miami at the end of June with the first hatching occurring on Aug. 9. Since that first hatching, there have been seven more hatchings while several other eggs were still incubating though it is possible they may not be fertile. The hatchlings are tiny and can fit on the top of a quarter.
They are being carefully monitored and fed a diet of fruit flies and small insect larvae until it is determined that they are stable enough for transport. At that time, zoo staff will accompany the hatchlings to Texas to team up with the San Antonio Zoo and other collaborators of the project to release them to the wild.
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