>> THEY'RE A SYMBOL OF THE
AMERICAN WEST AND A SYMBOL OF
OUR INDEPENDENCE AND UNIQUENESS.
[cow moos]
[horse whinnies]
>> IF YOU WERE PICKING A MASCOT
FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS
YOU'D HAVE TO CONSIDER
ONE SMALL REPTILE WITH A
LEGENDARY REPUTATION...
>> THEY ARE THE STATE
REPTILE OF TEXAS.
>> ...THE TEXAS HORNED LIZARD.
BUT YOU'D BETTER HURRY.
WHILE THEY ARE KNOWN
BY MANY NAMES...
>> HORNED TOADS, HORNED FROGS,
BUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY
HORNED LIZARDS.
>> ...HORNED LIZARD NUMBERS
ARE SHRINKING.
>> THIS PARTICULAR ANT MOUND
WAS JUST DISCOVERED THIS YEAR,
THIS SPRING.
>> THESE FOLKS AREN'T LOOKING
FOR ANTS, AS MUCH AS ANSWERS.
>> IF THERE'S HORNED LIZARDS IN
THE AREA, THIS IS THE KIND OF
PLACE I WOULD SEE THEM
COMING BACK TO.
>> IN MANY PLACES THEY ONCE
LIVED, HORNED LIZARDS
HAVE VANISHED.
>> IT'S JUST KIND OF SAD
TO THINK THAT SOMETHING
THAT WAS AT ONE TIME AS
COMMON AS THE HORNED LIZARD
IN TEXAS, IS GETTING TO THE
POINT WHERE YOU JUST HARDLY
SEE THEM, EVEN WHEN
YOU LOOK FOR THEM.
>> AS WE GO VISIT WITH RANCHERS,
IT'S ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS
THEY ASK ABOUT, IS WHAT'S
HAPPENED TO THE HORNED LIZARDS.
>> THAT QUESTION HAS BIOLOGISTS
SCRAMBLING TO STUDY THEM IN THE
PLACES THEY'RE STILL
DOING WELL.
>> UP IN THE SOUTHEAST
PANHANDLE, THE TEXAS HORNED
LIZARD UH STILL VERY COMMON
IN THIS PART OF THE STATE.
>> CHIP RUTHVEN HAS BEEN
CHASING HORNED LIZARDS FOR MANY
OF HIS YEARS IN THE FIELD.
>> WE CATCH MOST OF OUR HORNED
LIZARDS SIMPLY BY DRIVING DOWN
THE ROADS AND ENCOUNTERING
THEM ON THE ROADS.
YOU ARE NOT-OH, THERE HE GOES.
>> WHILE THEY'RE NOT NORMALLY
HARD TO CATCH...
>> OKAY, WHERE DID YOU GO?
>> ...THEY ARE WELL-CAMOUFLAGED.
>> THERE HE IS.
WE HAVE A MARK -
RECAPTURE PROGRAM, WE'LL UH
CAPTURE THOSE ANIMALS
TEMPORARILY, COLLECT A
VARIETY OF DATA OFF OF THEM,
WEIGHTS, MEASUREMENTS.
WE'LL TAKE THE CLIP, KIND OF
CLIP IT ON THE BASE OF ONE HORN,
AND THEN LIFT THE LIZARD UP,
AND WE'VE GOT WEIGHT
OF 25 GRAMS.
WE'LL CAPTURE THE GPS
COORDINATES OF EACH LIZARD
WHERE WE CAUGHT THEM, UH,
AND THEN MARK THOSE INDIVIDUALS.
116MM TOTAL LENGTH.
WE'VE MARKED OVER A THOUSAND
HERE ON THIS MANAGEMENT AREA.
>> FOR THE LIZARDS, MARKING
MEANS A RATHER SEVERE PEDICURE.
>> THEY GET AROUND PRETTY GOOD
WITHOUT A TOE OR TWO.
>> CLIPPING SPECIFIC TOE
COMBINATIONS IDENTIFIES
EACH LIZARD.
AND THOSE LOST TOES SERVE
ANOTHER PURPOSE.
>> I WILL MAIL IT OFF TO TCU
AND THEY WILL DO THEIR
GENETIC WORK ON IT.
>> TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY
IS RECEIVING HORNED TOAD TOES
AND OTHER SAMPLES IN THE
MAIL THESE DAYS.
>> I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE
A NATURAL BECAUSE IT'S
TCU'S MASCOT.
>> THE LIZARD LAB WORK
HAPPENS HERE, SUPERVISED
BY DEAN WILLIAMS.
>> HERE ARE SOME MORE SAMPLES
FROM CHIP, RICHARD.
>> DEAN AND HIS STUDENTS ARE
EXTRACTING DNA FROM THE CELLS
TO LEARN JUST HOW GENETICALLY
UNIQUE HORNED LIZARD
POPULATIONS ARE AROUND
THE STATE.
>> WHAT WE HAVE FOUND SO FAR IS
THAT THEY DO SEEM TO BE HIGHLY
GENETICALLY VARIABLE.
AT LEAST IN THE MATADOR.
POPULATIONS THAT MAY HAVE
PARTICULARLY LOW GENETIC
VARIATION, IT MIGHT INDICATE
OKAY THAT POPULATION IS
EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS.
>> THIS GENETIC INFORMATION
WILL ALSO BE CRITICAL IF HORNED
LIZARDS ARE EVER TO BE RESTORED
TO PLACES THEY HAVE
DISAPPEARED.
OTHER RESEARCH TO PREPARE FOR
THAT POSSIBILITY IS HAPPENING
NEARBY, AT THE FORT WORTH ZOO.
[elephant trumpets]
[door opens]
>> HOW ARE THE HORNED
LIZARDS DOING?
>> DOING VERY WELL ON
THEIR DIETS.
>> DIANE BARBER AND HER STAFF
ARE SUCCESSFULLY KEEPING
HORNED LIZARDS AT THE ZOO.
AND THEY'RE LEARNING
HOW TO MAKE MORE.
>> WE'RE ONE OF THE FEW
INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVE EVER
BRED THEM IN CAPTIVITY.
LOOKS LIKE SHE'S NOT
INTERESTED TODAY.
WE'LL HAVE TO TRY TOMORROW.
THEY'RE A HARD CREATURE TO KEEP
ALIVE BECAUSE OF THEIR
SPECIALIZED DIET AND THEIR
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS.
>> WHILE CAPTIVE BREEDING MAY
HELP RESTORE POPULATIONS DOWN
THE ROAD, KEEPING HORNED
LIZARDS HEALTHY IN THE WILD
STILL MEANS HAVING A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THEY
EAT AND WHERE THEY LIVE.
AND SOME OF THE PLACES THEY
LIVE MAY SURPRISE YOU.
[boat motor]
>> WE HAVE AN ISOLATED
POPULATION OF HORNED LIZARDS ON
THIS COASTAL BARRIER ISLAND.
>> ASHLEY INSLEE WORKS FOR THE
U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE.
LEE ANN LINAM AND A GROUP OF
VOLUNTEERS HAVE COME TO
MATAGORDA ISLAND TO HELP
WITH HER RESEARCH.
>> ONE THING WE'RE TRYING TO DO
IS UNDERSTAND SOMETHING ABOUT
THESE POPULATIONS THAT ARE STILL
LEFT, IF THERE ARE CERTAIN
REASONS THEY'VE MANAGED TO HANG
ON, AND WHAT THAT COULD TELL US
ABOUT CONSERVATION AND MAYBE
RESTORATION OF HORNED LIZARDS.
[music]
>> ON THE ISLAND, THE CREW HITS
THE ROAD, LOOKING FOR LIZARDS,
AND THEY HAVE A LARGE AREA
TO COVER.
>> IT'S A LONG NARROW STRIP OF
LAND THAT THESE HORNED LIZARDS
INHABIT, ALMOST 40 MILES LONG.
SEE IF WE GOT ANY CRITTERS.
SO FAR TODAY, WE HAVEN'T
CAUGHT ANYTHING.
>> TRAPS HAVE BEEN SET, BUT HAVE
NOTHING TO OFFER...
>> I GOT A GRASSHOPPER!
>> ...SO THE SPOTTERS SCAN THE
ROADSIDES, FROM SHORE TO SHORE,
AND EVENTUALLY...
...THEY FIND A LIZARD.
>> BEAUTIFUL!
>> SO IT'S 76.72
>> AS IN THE PANHANDLE...
>> WE'RE GOING TO TAKE
THE THIRD TOE.
>> THE LIZARD LOSES A DIGIT...
>> PUT SOME NEOSPORIN ON IT.
>> ...THIS TIME TO ANALYZE
ITS DIET.
>> TO GET AN ISOTOPIC READING
FROM THIS GUY.
>> THE DNA SAMPLE IS SOMEWHAT
LESS INVASIVE.
>> THE SWAB.
>> TO OUR HUMAN MIND IT'S
A LITTLE INSULTING.
>> BUT THIS LIZARD'S BIG DAY
IS NOT OVER YET.
>> I'LL PUT SOME SUPERGLUE...
>> WE ARE GOING TO POWDER TRACK
HER, SO WE ARE GOING TO ATTACH
THE FUR PATCH.
AND WHAT WE DO IS WE COAT IT
WITH A FLUORESCENT POWDER,
RELEASE IT, AND IN THE EVENING
WE CAN GO BACK AND WITH A BLACK
LIGHT, TRACK THE HORNED LIZARD
AND SEE SPECIFICALLY WHAT
GRASSES THEY'RE USING,
IF THEY'RE USING A PATH,
IF THEY'RE FREQUENTING CERTAIN
ANT MOUNDS AS OPPOSED TO OTHERS,
SO IT'S REALLY BEEN A
CONVENIENT, EFFICIENT WAY
TO GAUGE THE HABITAT
THAT THEY ARE USING.
>> THE FIRE ANT, PESTICIDE USE,
THOSE ARE PROBABLY
COMPOUNDING FACTORS.
THE SIGNIFICANT REASON FOR THE
DECLINE IN THE TEXAS HORNED
LIZARD IS UH PROBABLY
HABITAT LOSS.
NOT MARKED, SO HE'LL BE A NEW
ONE TO COLLECT SOME DATA OFF OF.
>> STUDYING HORNED LIZARDS IN
THEIR NATURAL HABITAT MAY BE
THE ONLY WAY TO KEEP THEM
FROM FADING INTO HISTORY.
THOUGH THERE REMAIN MORE
QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
ABOUT THE LONG TERM
HEALTH OF HORNED LIZARDS,
IT'S CLEAR THEY STILL
HAVE SOME FRIENDS.
>> IT APPEARS THAT THE TOAD
IS STILL ALIVE.
>> IT'S A HORNY TOAD!
>> YEAH!
>> I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYBODY
THAT DOESN'T LIKE A HORNED TOAD.
[singing]
>> IT'S LIKE THE MASCOT
OF TEXAS.
>> YOU DON'T HAVE TO GET FOLKS
EXCITED ABOUT HORNED LIZARDS,
BECAUSE THEY LOVE THEM ALREADY.
>> ♪ THOUGH THEY'VE GOT ♪
♪ AN UGLY FACE, ♪
♪ HE'S MY LITTLE ♪
♪ HORNY TOAD. ♪
[cheering]
>> YOU KNOW WHAT THEY EAT?
>> ANTS.
>> ALMOST 80 PERCENT OF THEIR
DIET IS HARVESTER ANTS.
>> WOW.
>> A LITTLE INTEREST CAN GO
A LONG WAY TOWARD SAVING A
THREATENED SPECIES.
>> I GUESS YOU CAN CLOSE THEM
UP AND PUT THEM IN THE FREEZER.
>> THAT GENETICS STUDY AT TCU IS
FUNDED BY SALES OF HORNED
LIZARD LICENSE PLATES.
>> VOLUNTEERS COLLECT VALUABLE
INFORMATION AROUND THE STATE.
>> ONCE YOU SEE YOUR FIRST
HORNED LIZARD AND YOU REALIZE
HOW IMMINENT THEIR DEMISE COULD
BE, YOU CAN'T HELP BUT TRY TO
GET INVOLVED AND TRY TO DO
SOMETHING.
>> WE'VE GOT 20% GRASSES.
>> THE STUDY AND PRESERVATION
OF NATIVE HABITAT CONTINUES.
>> BOTTOM LINE IS TO DETERMINE
PRACTICES TO MANAGE HABITATS
FOR HORNED LIZARDS.
>> AND WHAT HELPS THE HORNED
LIZARD WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY
HELP OTHER WILDLIFE.
>> THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER
SPECIES TOO THAT MAYBE ARE NOT
AS POPULAR OR WELL KNOWN AS
HORNED LIZARDS, BUT THEY FACE
THE SAME PLIGHT.
>> WHAT'S GOING TO BENEFIT
HORNED LIZARDS IS GOING TO
BENEFIT MOST GRASSLAND SPECIES.
LET HIM GO ON HIS MERRY WAY.
LIVE LONG AND PROSPER AND RAISE
LOTS OF BABY HORNY TOADS.
[music]