Tiny Endangered Lizards Hatch At San Antonio And Miami Zoos

Cover Media

Staff at the San Antonio and Miami Zoos are delighted to welcome some tiny new endangered and spiky residents - a new batch of Texas horned lizard hatchlings. San Antonio announced the hatching of 71 Texas horned lizards, with an additional seven eggs still incubating. They will eventually be released into the wild to bolster the rare species’ population. The zoo’s newly established satellite colony at Zoo Miami has celebrated its inaugural successful breeding season, with eight hatchlings and six more eagerly anticipated. This milestone forms part of an ambitious collaboration that began in 2020 when San Antonio Zoo partnered with Zoo Miami to create the satellite colony. This innovative strategy aims to secure a brighter future for the Texas horned lizard by reducing risks and boosting egg production. The team at Zoo Miami has been nurturing this charismatic species, with the hatchlings set to travel to San Antonio Zoo before being released into restored habitats in Texas. Affectionately known as the "horny toad," the Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) once thrived across much of Texas but has suffered significant declines due to habitat loss and invasive species. In response, San Antonio Zoo launched the Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project in 2017. Since then, the unwavering efforts of the zoo’s Centre for Conservation & Research (CCR) have led to the successful release of 208 Texas horned lizards into the wild. "The success of the Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project is a true testament to the power of collaborative conservation efforts," said Tim Morrow, President & CEO of San Antonio Zoo. "Together, we are making a significant impact on the future of this beloved species, and it's inspiring to see such positive results."

Latest Stories

  • Watch: Tiger shark hunts inches from beach in 'on-your-toes' moment

    Florida Keys Travel this week shared dramatic footage showing a tiger shark chasing a turtle to the beach as something to ponder the “next time you think about visiting the Florida Keys.” The company added: “The wild beauty of the ocean always keeps you on your toes…

  • Weekend travel headaches possible as storm rolls into B.C.

    Get ready for widespread rain and snow to kick off the final weekend of 2024 across British Columbia

  • Freezing rain across eastern Ontario and Quebec poses travel risk

    A spell of freezing rain in eastern Ontario and southern Quebec could lead to travel issues around Ottawa and Montreal

  • Another storm aims for the West Coast, hazardous travel for some in B.C.

    Wind will take a backseat to rain and snow this time around in B.C.

  • One owl rescued by a Minnesota woman is euthanized; efforts to save the other continue

    ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — One of the two owls rescued by a Minnesota woman in a story that went viral this week has died, but the other is still getting medical care.

  • Bird poop may be the key to stopping the next flu pandemic. Here’s why.

    First come the horseshoe crabs. Hoisting their round, tank-like shells, they trundle out of the Delaware Bay under the first full moon in May to mate and lay their eggs.

  • Freezing rain threatens dangerous roads, sidewalks on Saturday

    Watching a threat of freezing rain for eastern Ontario and Quebec on Saturday. More details with Meteorologist Melinda Singh.

  • Prairies to start 2025 with an impressive temperature divide

    A sharp divide between above-seasonal and below-seasonal temperatures will drape across the Prairies into the new year

  • Virginia Zoo Welcomes Birth of Adorable Pygmy Hippo

    The Metro Richmond Zoo in Moseley, Virginia, has announced the rare and exciting arrival of a baby pygmy hippo on December 9.The calf was born to parents Iris and Corwin after a seven-month gestation, weighed 15 pounds, and was their third offspring in just four and a half years, the zoo said in a press release on December 24.The calf was already nursing and bonding with her mother and would soon be visible to visitors, the zoo said.A public poll was launched to help choose the calf’s name from a shortlist of four: Poppy, Juniper, Hammie Mae, or Omi. Polling closes on December 31 and the winning name would be revealed on New Year’s Day, the zoo said. Credit: Metro Richmond Zoo via Storyful

  • Endangered pygmy hippo born at Virginia zoo

    The Metro Richmond Zoo in Virginia is welcoming a newborn pygmy hippo just before the holidays, the zoo announced in a press release on Dec 24. The pygmy hippo parents, Iris and Corwin, gave birth to a third little girl in the past 4.5 years. "This is Iris and Corwin's 3rd calf in 4.5 years (all females), and their 2nd calf to arrive right before the holidays," the zoo said.

  • Windsor-Essex Christmas bird counters spot a rare blackbird — and a few different owls

    Christmas bird counts in the Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent areas have so far turned up numerous owl sightings, a rare glimpse of a yellow-headed blackbird and a first-ever sighting of a sparrow common to the prairies.One birder, who has taken part in four counts so far this year, has seen five different species of owl. Namely, he's seen the tiny northern saw-whet owl, the stern-looking long-eared owl, the short-eared owl, the eastern screech owl and the mighty great horned owl. "In Windsor-Esse

  • Duke Energy files to recover $1.1 billion in hurricane costs

    Severe storms this year forced major U.S. utilities to shut down or slow power plant operations. Duke, the largest utility covering North and South Carolina, said the hurricanes hit its service territories and ripped away miles of transmission lines and power poles, leaving tens of thousands of its customers without electricity. The company said that residential customers' monthly bills will increase by about $21 per 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity in March 2025 compared to February 2025, and that storm costs will remain on bills through the end of February 2026.

  • Repair bill nearing $85M for Calgary Municipal Building

    The City of Calgary is continuing to pour big money into the building known as Big Blue or new city hall.Over the past decade, the city has committed nearly $85 million into repairing and modernizing the Calgary Municipal Building.In recent years, it seems like there's always a project going on somewhere in the building.Back in 2014, a city report warned that the building's deteriorating condition was an issue and that it required investment. Susan Specht is the manager of building infrastructur

  • Georgia to lift ban on drilling new irrigation wells as state recovers from drought, storms

    The ban had been in effect for more than a decade.

  • Watch: Venomous tiger snake found under baby's bouncy chair

    An Australian snake catcher responded to a Melbourne-area home where a deadly tiger snake was found lurking underneath a baby's bouncy chair.

  • These pea-sized snails were considered extinct for 100 years - now they're being released into the wild

    A species of tiny snail has been brought back from the brink of extinction. The Desertas Island land snails were believed to have disappeared altogether for 100 years, but experts have managed to breed them in captivity after discovering tiny populations on an isolated island called Desertas Grande in the Madeira Archipelago, Portugal. Now more than 1,300 of the critically endangered snails are being released into the wild on the nearby island of Bugio.

  • 'Significant' tree fossil find at Devon cove

    The lycopsid fossil was found in Saltern Cove during a survey at the site.

  • Glowing Red Lava Fountains Erupt at Kilauea in Spectacular Christmas Display

    Red lava fountains erupted at the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island on the morning of Christmas Eve, December 24, as an eruption which began the day prior resumed.Footage released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) shows lava fountains erupting on the Halema‘uma‘u crater floor.The volcano is one of the world’s most active, and has erupted dozens of times since 1952, according to the USGS. Credit: @USGSVolcanoes via Storyful

  • Severe weather event impacts Friday and Saturday

    16 WAPT's Meteorologist Anthony Bordanaro has the latest forecast for Jackson and Central Mississippi.

  • 4 die on Christmas Day in New Hampshire home from suspected carbon monoxide poisoning

    Four people died in a New Hampshire home on Christmas Day due to suspected carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said.