Miami zoo celebrates first-ever hatching of threatened horned lizards
It’s their moment in the sun.
Zoo Miami successfully hatched 71 Texas ꦐhorned lizards as part of a pioneering satellite project.
The zoo collaborated with the Center for Conservation & Research at San Antonio Zoo to produce the hatchlings under human care for the Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project,🐼 the zoo announced Tuesday.
Horned lizards – which are sometimes referred to as “horned frogs” – are the official state liz꧙ard of Texas, wher𓂃e they are threatened and protected by the law.
It’s illegal to touch them or pick them up.
The hatchlings at Zoo Miami will eventually be taken bac🐻k to Texas, where they will be released at selected sites as part of th✃e reintroduction scheme.
The first eggs were laid at Zoo Miami at the end of🍷 June, the zoo said.
The first hatching ♏occurred on Aug. 9, followed by seven more in quick succession.
The༒ tiny hat🙈chlings are small enough to fit on a quarter, the zoo said.
They are being “carefully monitored and fe⛎d fruit flies and small insect larvae until they are stable for transport,” the media relea♔se explained.
Several other eggs are also still incubating.
When th♏ey are fully grown, the lizards will be between 3 to 5 inches in length.
They normally inhabit dry grasslands and deserts, and their ꦛscaly skin is adapted to absorbing water from de💞w and sand.
The Texas horned lizard population has decreased by over 30ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ% in 40 years due to damage to their natural habitats, invas🏅ive species, and the proliferation of pesticides.
Their main f🅺ood source is harvester ants, which have declined due to invasive fire ants and pesticide🃏 use.
