Texas Horned Lizard rescue and release part I

[22CODPRO22]

horned lizards are native to texas and what part of texas

[PhrynosomaTexas]

@22CODPRO22 3 species are native to Texas. This one is a protected species. They are native all over the state, and I saw my first one in the pine forest of east Texas near Houston about 1978 or 79. Now days they are pretty much extinct there. You have to go west of Austin/Dallas/Waco to find very many of them. I see about 5 or 6 a year where I am, but I get ppl from all over telling me where they see them. Reports from downtown OKC 3 years in a row.

[psnuabb619]

i found two and in el paso tx and left outside and they died dont know what happend....

[PhrynosomaTexas]

@psnuabb619 You left them outside in what?

[psnuabb619]

@PhrynosomaTexas in a cage and they like dried and died i feed them everyday and they just died..

[PhrynosomaTexas]

@psnuabb619 They "like" dried? How old are you?

Well, that was your first mistake. For one, what you did was ILLEGAL. You are breaking the law attempting to keep them as pets. Number Two...you killed 2 THREATENED species, which could be a separate charge if someone wanted to push it.

The poor things probably died from sun exposure because you didn't know what you were doing.

I would advise you strongly not to touch another horned lizard again.

[psnuabb619]

@PhrynosomaTexas i,m 14 and i wont but why would they die from that sorry if i made you angry its just their real nice and i had them for months and i know its ilegal but i,m teenager what do you expect just please why did they die?

[PhrynosomaTexas]

@psnuabb619 What do I expect? I expect that regardless of you being a teenager, you don't violate the law and attempt to keep threatened species you don't know how to care for. You are old enough to know better, or your parents are, and you shouldn't have been allowed to keep them. Since you are a minor, your parents could face arrest by a game warden.

[psnuabb619]

@PhrynosomaTexas i tried breeding them to make more i swear but they died..

[PhrynosomaTexas]

@psnuabb619 Look, I wrote a manual that is almost 60 pages long for zoos to teach zoologists how to keep them alive so that they could breed them, and not even zoos are that good at it because horned lizards are highly sensitive to captivity. Nobody with less than 10 years of lizard keeping experience should even be trying to keep a horned lizard. There are far too many reasons why they might have died, but tops on the list is probably heat stress and captive induced stress followed by poor diet

[PhrynosomaTexas]

@psnuabb619 And the fact that you had them for a few months, shows just how short their life span is once taken into captivity if you don't know what you are doing. In the wild they might have lived to be a dozen years old. One very experienced herpetologist kept one alive for 18 years, but you shouldn't be trying. Now, go forth and educate others, and NEVER do this again.

[psnuabb619]

@PhrynosomaTexas geez ok i,m sorry make me feel worse

[PhrynosomaTexas]

@psnuabb619 And your response here makes it abundantly clear that you aren't mature or responsible enough, and that these words don't mean much to you. You have killed 2 threatened species, yet what you are worried about is YOUR FEELINGS? I really don't give a rip about your personal feelings. Two horny toads are dead. I don't care if it makes you feel worse that someone tells you bluntly. Grow up and think of something other than your own feelings.

[psnuabb619]

@PhrynosomaTexas maan you burn in hell you piece of shit i just wanted some answers but your a dick about your a bad expert fuuuck youu i,ll grow up when i want!!

[PhrynosomaTexas]

@psnuabb619 It's clear you are the immature piece of shit who can't handle the truth of a matter and only wants emotions stroked, like a little baby. That's fine. Grow up when you want to...but stay they hell away from anything that requires responsibility and maturity in the meantime, moron.

[StarisX]

I was in love with those lizards when I was a child! there were always a bunch out in the Marfa/Alpine area of Texas, but there seems to be hardly any these days. Or hopefully they are playing in the mountains these days :)

[PhrynosomaTexas]

@StarisX There are still quite a few in that area. You just have to know where and when to look. I went through Ft Stockton/Van Horn back in 2005 and though they may not be running around like locusts anymore, they are in abundance in non-developed untouched areas. Even in Wichita Falls area where they are really scarce, I see up to 4 a year. I have already seen or rescued 4 in the last few months.

[StarisX]

@PhrynosomaTexas oh good! We've been really worried about their populations dwindling; we've always hoped that they just moved on to safer areas and we hardly had access to every ranch in west texas to go check on them haha They were the sweetest creatures I ever encountered (and one of the most helpful!) while growing up, and I even volunteered at a zoo haha bunnies and goats have nothing on the horned lizards :)

[PhrynosomaTexas]

@StarisX Their populations are dwindling from what they were decades ago in many places, due to farming, pesticide and other chemical use, oil and gas well drilling, people trying to kill fire ants, etc. In the eastern half of the state they are virtually extinct. They still have footholds in the west, but only in places where people aren't doing anything with the land.

[PhrynosomaTexas]

Depends on the state. It is up to each state within their distribution to determine what protection, if any, they are offered. In several states they are state listed as threatened ( Texas ). In some states they are a species of concern, or are not regulated at all beyond need to obtain a hunting permit.

[FcohdzRSNub]

Can I ask you like how many are left in Texas? They are still a little common, just harder to find now, because you have to look for them under spiky plants, like 20 miles away from a city. >.>

[PhrynosomaTexas]

I don't how many are left. There are many less than there used to be, but yes, they can still be found in the western portion of the state, away from developed areas mostly. They aren't always under spiky plants. This one was rescued from the middle of a highway where she was very nearly killed along side another.

[FcohdzRSNub]

=/

There are still some good areas to find them if you go further into unhabited vegetation, recently I found 4, one after another, in Matamoros, near a uncle's ranch, where city can't move because of irregular terrain.

Are there poeple in the group that make HL reproduce, and let them grow and then release them?

[PhrynosomaTexas]

I know. I search for them regularly and have been to west Texas many times. My group, and my associates, rescue, rehab, and release those that have been captured by novice collectors, bought at reptile shows, or that have been injured. I just got back from a 12 hour road trip to San Angelo to rescue a female that was hit in the head by a weed eater. It took one side of her face and part of her left arm off. I don't know if she will adapt to live long term. She will never be wild again.

[PhrynosomaTexas]

We have people working on captive breeding for the future, but that is a bit more complicated. You can't just turn them loose after they hatch, and you can't just pick any area.

[plijuh123]

I'm FcohdzRSNub, just using another account. I was thinking, there are many HL 10 miles away from Matamoros, when I went to visit some relatives i saw 6. But people seem to kill HL for fun, sell them or dissect them. -.-

I thought if there is a way to take HL from near the city to protected areas, because Tamaulipas doesn't seem interested in protecting them.

[PhrynosomaTexas]

They are protected in Mexican law too. Relocating them is not a good idea. Horned lizards have home range territories, and they stand an 80-90% chance of death the first winter if relocated. That's why I attempted to find the original home of this lizard. It's also too late in the year for them to adjust to even a short distance relocation anyway.

[PhrynosomaTexas]

If they are relocated 1/4 mile is maximum distance I feel safe with. If it's still too unsafe for them, then they need to go to a sanctuary where they are looked after and provided a secure habitat.

[tctheunbeliever]

@PhrynosomaTexas

I live just outside Lubbock, and they're usually easy to find in the backyard (half-acre lot).

[PhrynosomaTexas]

@tctheunbeliever They are still found somewhat easily in the western part of the state. I have received 2 sighting reports from Lubbock this year.

[Retrieverman1]

Are Texas horned lizards endangered or threatened?

[Ubertastic]

awesome, I love these little dudes

[w0090]

Cool rescue and release, Mike!!