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.