TPWD
Species Spotlights
Texas Horned Lizard
The Texas Horned Lizard, affectionately known by many Texans as the "Horny Toad", is actually not a toad at all. They're the official state reptile of Texas.
Texas Horned Lizards are a beloved Texas icon, and a fond childhood memory for many Texans.
Sadly, the population of Texas Horned Lizards has dwindled over the last several decades—they've declined from about 30% of their historic range in Texas.
There is no single cause for the decline of the horned lizard. Several factors have been attributed including fragmentation and loss of habitat, invasive species (e.g. non-native grasses and red imported fire ants), changes in land use resulting in woody encroachment, over collection, and overuse of pesticides.
Despite these declines, the hopeful news is that Texas Horned Lizards have continued to persist in parts of the western third of the state. There are many public/private partners (e.g. TPWD, Wildlife Management Areas, Texas zoos, private landowners, etc.) working together to help the Texas Horned Lizard be the comeback kid.
Juvenile Texas Horned Lizard reintroduced from the conservation breeding program at the Fort Worth Zoo
Take Action for Texas Horned Lizards
Native grasses with bare ground between bunches
Native forbs (e.g. wildflowers)
Some brush, but mostly grassland habitat
Texas Horned Lizard habitat at Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area
1. Provide Texas Horned Lizard Habitat
Land uses changes throughout the horned lizard's range has resulted in significant brush encroachment and introduction of non-native grasses.
If you're a landowner in the western two-thirds of Texas (see Texas Horned Lizard sighting map HERE), you can help maintain healthy habitat for Texas Horned Lizards through brush control and native grass restoration.
Texas Horned Lizards require grassland habitat. Too much brush, such as Mesquite, or invasive non-native grasses, such as King Ranch Bluestem, can restrict lizard movement and crowd out the native bunchgrasses and forbs (e.g. wildflowers) that the lizards need.
Native bunchgrasses support the insects horned lizards eat, such as harvester ants. Bare ground between the grasses and forbs provide basking spots, shelter, and more easily navigable cover from predators while they forage for ants and other insects.
Horned lizard eye-view of their habitat...
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Texas Horned Lizard Release Site—Note the bare ground between native bunch grasses and other plants (as opposed to a carpet of turf grass or invasive grasses). This provides lizards with basking spots, shelter, and more easily navigable cover from predators.
Left photo: Diane Barber, Right photo: Nathan Rains
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Good Texas Horned Lizard habitat is also good for species such as Northern Bobwhite, Meadowlark, Monarch Butterflies—and many more Texas Species of Greatest Conservation Need.
2. Native Red Harvester Ants—Good for Horned Lizards
While Texas Horned Lizards can eat a variety of insects, they feed predominantly on Red Harvester Ants, found throughout the majority of their habitat range. Horned lizards have developed a resilience to most native ant toxins, and catch them with their sticky tongue.
The Red Harvester Ant's main food source is native grass seed. You can support beneficial Red Harvester Ant populations by promoting a native grassland habitat, and not using pesticides. Learn more about Management of the Red Harvester Ant.
If you have non-native Red-imported fire ants, targeted, organic mound treatment may be warranted (that doesn't harm native ants). Red imported fire ants are not palatable to Texas Horned Lizards, can reduce the native harvester ant and insect population, and potentially attack small lizards and nests.
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Native Harvester Ant Mound — Very Good for Texas Horned Lizards!
3. Give Texas Horned Lizards a BRAKE
Like many reptiles and amphibians, Texas Horned Lizards like to bask on warm surfaces. As "ectotherms" (i.e. coldblooded) this allows their body to warm up to become active and metabolize food. As such, many reptiles and amphibians meet an untimely end on rural roads and highways, where they may be basking on, or crossing roads.
Another important way you can help Texas Horned Lizards, is to slow down and watch out on backroads, especially in the morning and early evening warm light when Texas Horned Lizards might be out basking or moving around.
Photo credit: U.S. National Park Service
Landowner Resources for the Texas Horned Lizard:
- Get habitat advice from your Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Wildlife Biologist. Tell them you'd like to get started on grassland management and restoration on your property to benefit the Texas Horned Lizard.
Find your wildlife biologist by county HERE.
- Native American Seed has a native seed mix formulated for Texas Horned Lizard habitat HERE.
- Management of the Red Harvester Ant
General Resources for the Texas Horned Lizard:
- See current range of the Texas Horned Lizard—a map of observations on inaturalist.org HERE.
- Click HERE for a Texas Horned Lizard Advocacy Guide
- Learn more about the Texas Horned Lizard reintroduction program from the Fort Worth Zoo below:
