Threatened Texas horned lizards hatch at Zoo Miami
MIAMI - It's a first for Zoo Miami. Working in collaboration with the Center for Conservation & Research at San Antonio Zoo, threatened Texas horned lizards hatched at the zoo.
Zoo Miami established a satellite colony of Texas horned lizards to produce hatchlings under human care, as part of the Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project. The hatchlings will eventually be taken back to Texas where they will be released at selected sites.
The first eggs were laid at Zoo Miami at the end of June with the first hatching occurring on Aug. 9, according to the zoo. Since that first hatching, there have been seven more hatchings.
Several other eggs are still incubating, but they may be fertile, according to the zoo.
The horned lizards, sometimes referred to as "horned frogs," are the official state lizard of Texas, where they are threatened, and protected by law.
The lizards, which average 3" to 5" in length, have prominent horns on top of their head and rows of spiny scales along their sides.
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, according to Zoo Miami.
The greatest threats to the Texas horned lizard are the fragmentation of their habitat and the use of pesticides.