TCU Researcher Addresses Latest Horned Lizard Sightings

Texas horned lizards have made encouraging headlines recently, with rare sightings and signs that some reintroduced populations may be reproducing in the wild.

At Texas Christian University, biology professor Dean Williams continues to lead research aimed at restoring the university's beloved "horned frog" across Texas. From testing new release strategies to reducing predation and studying hatchlings in their natural habitat, the Louise Dilworth Davis College of Science & Engineering professor shares the latest on the conservation efforts that could help secure the species' future.

What is the latest on your horned lizard research, release efforts and more?

We are currently evaluating a large snake-proof enclosure for releases (since snake predation is a big problem) to see whether it increases survival and whether letting the lizards grow larger before leaving the enclosure improves survival.

There were recent news reports of two different horned lizards spotted in Texas. Can you tell us about the one in San Antonio and its possible significance?

This lizard suggests that the individuals released by the San Antonio Zoo have begun reproducing. This requires some further investigation, but if true, that is good news for that reintroduction. We have also had breeding among released lizards in Mason, but it hasn't been consistent due to high predation levels.

There were also reports of someone finding one on the beach in the surf of South Padre Island. Any observations about that news?

H istorically, they are naturally found along beach areas in South Texas. However, they are rarely seen in those areas now and are not as common as they were in the past. You could also find them on the barrier islands like Matagorda, but I'm not sure if they still occur there. On another note, they normally hang out in the dunes, and I'm not sure why that one was in the surf.

What are any next steps for your work or broader efforts in general?

The big effort now is to try to reduce predation to the point that the population can become established. We are also studying the diet and thermal preferences of hatchlings in the wild to optimize release sites.

What does success look like five or ten years from now?

If we start to regularly find individuals at the reintroduction site that are two years or older and we see evidence for yearly breeding by individuals that were released, such as females constructing nests and producing hatchlings, we will consider that a success.