Miami, FL

Zoo Miami celebrates first-ever hatching of threatened Texas horned lizards

Published

2 years ago

August 27, 2024

Zoo Miami celebrates first-ever hatching of threatened Texas horned lizards

MIAMI – For the first time, Zoo Miami has successfully hatched threatened Texas horned lizards as part of a conservation effort to boost their wild populations, zoo spokesman Ron Magill confirmed Tuesday in a news release.

Zoo Miami, in collaboration with the Center for Conservation & Research at San Antonio Zoo, has established “a satellite colony of Texas horned lizards to produce hatchlings under human care as part of the Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project,” Magill wrote in the news release.

The hatchlings, once they are stable, will be transported to Texas and released in carefully selected sites by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, according to Magill.

Known colloquially as “horned frogs” or “horny toads,” the Texas horned lizard is an iconic species and the official state lizard of Texas, where it is listed as threatened and protected by law, the news release stated.

The lizard, which is distinguished by the horns on its head and rows of spiny scales along its sides, typically measures between 3 and 5 inches in length.

Magill said it normally inhabits dry grasslands, savannas, and deserts, with skin adapted to absorb water from dew and sand.

Zoo Miami said the species faces several threats, including habitat fragmentation, invasive species, and pesticide use.

According to Magill, harvester ants, the lizard’s primary food source, have declined due to competition with invasive fire ants and the use of pesticides. As a result, the Texas horned lizard population has decreased by more than 30% over the last 40 years.

The horned lizard’s first eggs were laid at the end of June, and the first hatching occurred on Aug. 9 at Zoo Miami, Magill confirmed Tuesday.

He said seven more hatchlings have since emerged, with more eggs still incubating.

The tiny hatchlings, which are small enough to fit on a quarter, “are being carefully monitored and fed fruit flies and small insect larvae until they are stable for transport,” Zoo Miami wrote in Tuesday’s news release.

Magill said zoo staff will then accompany the hatchlings to Texas to work with the San Antonio Zoo and other collaborators to release them back into the wild.

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Miami, FL

Former Titans GM mock Miami right tackle to the Cleveland Browns at 6

Published

9 hours ago

April 18, 2026

Press Room

Former Titans GM mock Miami right tackle to the Cleveland Browns at 6

The Cleveland Browns traded for an extended right tackle, former Houston Texan Tytus Howard, at the start of free agency as they began their rebuild of the offensive line that was awful in 2025. But Howard has played every position on the offensive line except for center, so if it’s all about getting your best five on the field, which it should be, there’s a chance Howard doesn’t play at right tackle in 2026.

While doing a mock draft on Peter Schrager’s podcast, former Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon had the Browns drafting Miami (FL) right tackle sixth overall. He talked about the issue with Howard, but said Mauigoa could either take over the tackle spot or be a really good guard.

Carthon said he knows that Mauigoa would be one of their best five, whether it is at guard or tackle. Some will say that a guy who may be best at guard isn’t worth the sixth overall pick, and I have to disagree. You should draft the best football players, and Francis Mauigoa is my highest-rated offensive lineman and seventh overall. It might be at guard, but I have a good feeling that Mauigoa will find a home in the NFL as a high-quality offensive lineman.

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Miami, FL

Inventory drops for first time since 2023 as sales rebound across coastal Miami, beaches

Published

1 day ago

April 17, 2026

Press Room

Inventory drops for first time since 2023 as sales rebound across coastal Miami, beaches

Inventory of homes and condos across the coastal Miami mainland and Miami Beach and the barrier island markets fell in the first quarter, marking the first big inventory drops since 2023.

The Corcoran Group’s first quarter reports don’t cover all of Miami-Dade County, but they offer insight into how the coastal markets, which have a higher share of luxury properties, are performing.

In Miami Beach, Sunny Isles Beach, Bal Harbour, Bay Harbor Islands, Surfside, Miami Beach, Fisher Island and Key Biscayne, single-family home inventory dropped 15 percent annually to 398 listings, and condo inventory was down 13 percent to 3,919 listings.

On Miami’s coastal mainland markets, which include Aventura, Miami Shores, Upper East Side, Edgewater, downtown Miami, Brickell, Coral Gables and Coconut Grove, inventory slipped 4 percent to 4,584 condo listings and 555 single-family listings, down 6 percent year-over-year.

Here’s a closer look at the market:

Miami Beach and the barrier islands

Single-family sales rose 13 percent year-over-year to 85 closings, the first time they have increased since the second quarter of 2024. Condo closings rose 15 percent to 693 closings, the first increase since the last quarter of 2024.

Pricing dropped, with the median price of single-family homes down 4 percent to $3.5 million and the median condo price down 9 percent to $640,000. The average price per square foot was nearly flat at $1,119.

Still, buyers set records with their purchases. Billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg paid $170 million for the waterfront mansion at 7 Indian Creek Island Road, and Starbucks billionaire Howard Schultz paid $44 million, or $7,949 per square foot, for a penthouse at the Four Seasons Residences at The Surf Club.

Coastal mainland

Sales of single-family homes on the coastal mainland rose 16 percent to 220 closings. While markets like Coral Gables experienced declines in condo and single-family home sales, Coconut Grove home sales surged — up over 100 percent for single-family homes to 47 closings and up 55 percent to 87 condo closings. Condo sales rose 13 percent to 759 closings.

The median price of single-family homes across the coastal mainland rose 11 percent to just over $2 million. The median price of condos increased slightly, up 1 percent, to $602,000.

The priciest deals in the first quarter were the $32 million trade of 12 Tahiti Beach Island Road in Coral Gables, and the $19.8 million sale of a penthouse at Vita at Grove Isle.

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