Texas horned lizards have been classified as a threatened species in Texas since 1977. The decline of the flat-bodied, spiny reptiles is due to the pet trade, wild habitat loss, and the spread of ...

In 2016, the zoo’s Center for Conservation and Research launched the Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project, aimed at working with private landowners to reintroduce the horned lizards.

The short-horned ... horn lizard populations have been in decline throughout their range. Destruction of their native habitat, efforts to eradicate ants—their staple food—and the pet trade ...