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The Fort Worth Zoo Reaches Major Milestone In Its Study of the Texas Horned Lizard

Releasing Another 301 Hatchlings From Its Ground-Breaking Breeding Program

BY // 10.30.24

The Fort Worth Zoo has just released hundreds of Texas horned lizards back into the wild. This successful breeding program is aimed at seeing the indigenous lizard rebound ― bringing it back from the brink. This collaboration with partner institutions including Dallas Zoo, Caldwell Zoo, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, and Pearland Nature Center, is yet another major conservation success for Fort Worth’s crown jewel, and one of the top zoos in the nation.

Locals might not recognize the Texas horned lizard at first glance. After all, it looks nothing like Super Frog ― Texas Christian University’s muscular mascot. In real life, the spikey-skinned lizard is desert-toned with splotchy camouflage. He’s an intimidating little fellow.

The release of a record-breaking number of Texas horned lizards ― 617 to be exact ― took place into their native habitat at Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area as part of the Zoo’s Texas horned lizard conservation program with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) and zoo partners.

Of the hatchlings that were released into the wild ― 301 of the 617 Texas horned lizards were hatched at the Fort Worth Zoo ― the first zoo to successfully breed the species.

The program “maintains the largest breeding group of Texas horned lizards under human care. Since the inception of the horned lizard project in 2011, protocols for the iconic reptile’s breeding and husbandry have been developed and perfected at the Fort Worth Zoo and are now replicated by several organizations around the state,” according to a release.

The Fort Worth Zoo was the first zoo to successfully breed the species
The Fort Worth Zoo was the first zoo to successfully breed the species.

A Disappearing Species Reemerges

The Texas horned lizard can be found throughout much of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and New Mexico. But, if you spot one, do not attempt to handle it. They are listed as a threatened species in the state of Texas. So, look but don’t touch.

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“Establishing a stable population of horned lizards in the wild is complex and requires resources, expertise, and collaboration from various disciplines across several institutions. This year’s record number of hatchlings is indicative of this collective effort, leading to improving hatch rates, release numbers, and reproduction in the wild,” according to the Fort Worth Zoo.

“The more we study and learn about horned lizard behavior, reproduction, and interactions with other organisms and communities within their preferred habitat, the faster we can decipher key factors for the establishment of populations in new areas,” says Diane Barber, senior curator of ectotherms.

Over the past 13 years, the Zoo has continued its fight against the extinction of the Texas horned lizard by sharing what its staff has learned in its breeding program with other institutions ― and releasing over 850 hatchlings so far. Alongside partners from Texas Christian University (TCU) and TPWD, the Zoo tracks the released hatchlings through adulthood. They are monitoring for signs of reproduction in the wild, which is a sign of a thriving population.

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