To be scientifically accurate, horned lizards are in the news.
Recently, a coalition of TCU researchers, zoo and wildlife scientists released 204 captive-raised hatchlings into the wild – 100 of them hatched at the Fort Worth Zoo. This followed new evidence this year that previously released lizards are now reproducing.
For more than 10 years, the Texas Horned Lizard Coalition – including TCU, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and zoos in Fort Worth, Dallas, San Antonio and elsewhere – has been studying how to restore Texas horned lizards to formerly occupied habitats.
The story was featured in the Houston Chronicle, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the Fort Worth Business Press and numerous publications throughout Texas. One of the first appearances of the story
was a lighthearted editorial in the Dallas Morning News that activated the age-old competition between Dallas and Fort Worth.
“The Horned Frogs are making a comeback. Not the purple and white kind you find at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. The actual horned frogs — horny toads,” the editorial read. “As the national paper of Texas, and one that fought many battles with Fort Worth newspaperman Amon G. Carter, we’re not all TCU fans, but we’re cheering for these horned frogs.”
Read more on TCU’s effort from the College of Science & Engineering.