Important steps being taken to save 'horny toads' in Texas

Many of us know of one or more animals we grew up with that just aren’t around anymore. One of them? The state reptile of Texas – horned lizards … or, as we like to call them, “horny toads.”

These intriguing creatures, which we once found and captured as kids, were once widespread in Texas. But their numbers have been in decline for decades. The horned lizard population has dropped so sharply, the species has been declared “threatened” in the Lone Star State.

Why, you may ask?

Fire ants, the type of ant that destroys lawns and packs painful venomous bites, are the main perpetrators. Fire ants have decimated harvester ants, which are the primary diet of the horned lizard. Fire ants also destroy horny toad nests and eat their hatchlings.

Another contributing factor? Human interference, whether that be hunting and capturing horned lizards or spreading pesticides that harm their prospects.

What does that mean for the horny toad’s future?

For more than a decade, Texas conservation experts have relocated adult horned lizards and hatchlings from parts of the state where they are plentiful to parts that lack the reptiles. Even so, many were lost to predation, despite their impressive defensive weapons. Besides being able to sit stone-still to blend in with rocks, horned lizards can shoot foul-smelling blood from their eyes.

Other steps are being taken to save them. Many zoos have started a horned lizard captive breeding program. Hatchlings are being released into the wild in hopes of flooding the landscape.

Declaring them as a threatened species has helped in the hope of repopulating Texas with these reptiles. In doing so, Texas has made it illegal to hunt, sell, capture and keep these animals without proper documentation and permits.

Each summer, the San Angelo Nature Center displays a horned lizard exhibit. This allows the public to bring in horned lizards that have possibly veered away from their food source. Permitted through the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, this effort allows the Nature Center to take in these threatened species and supply them with food and shelter over the summer before being released back into the wild in the fall.

Displaying the exhibit also allows staff and volunteers the opportunity to educate the center’s summer camp-goers and visitors on the importance of wildlife conservation.

In addition to the horned lizard exhibit, the Nature Center houses two other threatened species.

The Chihuahuan Desert lyre, a rear-fanged, mildly venomous snake, is one of Texas’ most elusive reptiles. Almost strictly nocturnal, desert lyres are restricted to rocky habitats and hillsides. Often mistaken for the mottled rock rattlesnake, it is often killed in confusion.

The other threatened species housed at the Nature Center is the Texas indigo snake. This special species of snake is predominantly black in color with a high sheen, which gives its smooth scales an iridescent hue. It is a non-venomous snake; however, it is known to kill and eat other snakes, including rattlesnakes. Because of their ability to consume rattlesnakes, ranchers and even homeowners make their land hospitable to the Texas indigo snake. That has yielded the helpful rhyme, “If it’s indigo, let it go.”

The San Angelo Nature Center promotes wildlife conservation. Our goal is to ensure nature will be around for future generations to recognize and enjoy the importance of wildlife.

Selina McSherry is the Nature Center coordinator for the City of San Angelo. Contact her at 325-942-0121 or selina.mcsherry@cosatx.us.

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