Texas Horned Lizard | Photo: Holly Key
For generations, the Texas horned lizard, known across the state as the horny toad, was a familiar fixture in backyards, ranches and open rangelands. Today, the rugged reptile that serves as Texas' official state reptile has disappeared from much of its historic range, leaving scientists and landowners searching for ways to restore one of the state's most recognizable wildlife species.
‘In conservation, we are called to fight for those creatures that cannot fight for themselves. Esperanza Ranch will fight for the Texas horned lizards.’
Researchers in Texas Tech's Department of Natural Resources Management are launching a new effort aimed at doing just that. A two-year, $150,000 research project will examine the ecology, habitat requirements and long-term viability of Texas horned lizard populations on a 6,000-acre private ranch in Dickens and Kent counties.
Supported by Spur-area rancher Charles Hodges, the project, Ecology and Habitat Assessment of Texas Horned Lizards in a Private Ranch in Dickens and Kent Counties, Texas, brings together Texas Tech, Esperanza Ranch and the Horned Lizard Conservation Society through the Royal Alberta Museum to better understand how one of the state's most iconic reptiles is responding to changing landscapes.
For Hodges, the study reflects a personal commitment to conserving a species that has become increasingly rare.
"We are excited to begin this critical research with Texas Tech and the Horned Lizard Conservation Society through the Royal Alberta Museum," Hodges said. "I'm very interested in discovering what the effects of ranching practices and manmade intrusions such as solar farms and data centers have on this precious protected species, the Texas horned lizard."
Hodges said he hopes the project will become the foundation for broader conservation efforts across the region.
"In conservation, we are called to fight for those creatures that cannot fight for themselves," he said. "Esperanza Ranch will fight for the Texas horned lizards. My goal is to make Spur, Texas, the U.S. epicenter of horned lizard research."
The research will be led by AHM Ali Reza, associate professor of practice in Texas Tech's Department of Natural Resources Management, an internationally recognized conservation scientist whose work spans wildlife management, biodiversity conservation, species distribution modeling and environmental policy.
AHM Ali Reza brings more than two decades of experience in applied conservation and environmental policy to the project. Before joining the university last year, he served as a USAID Foreign Service Officer.
Reza said protecting the species will require science grounded in collaboration. "The Texas horned lizard is an iconic symbol of our state's natural heritage, and conserving this remarkable species requires strong partnerships between private landowners, universities and the broader conservation community," he said.
Associate Professor of Practice AHM Ali Reza
He credited Hodges for making the research possible while emphasizing the project's educational value.
"I am especially grateful to Mr. Charles Hodges for his vision and generosity in making this project possible," Reza said. "Through this collaboration, we hope to generate the science needed to guide effective conservation and management while providing our graduate students with invaluable hands-on research experience that prepares the next generation of wildlife conservation professionals."
Reza, a Texas Tech alumnus, brings more than two decades of experience in applied conservation and environmental policy to the project. Before joining the university last year, he served as a Foreign Service Officer for Environment with the U.S. Agency for International Development, leading conservation initiatives in Kenya, across East Africa and at USAID headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Once abundant throughout the western two-thirds of Texas, Texas horned lizards (Phrynosoma cornutum) began a steep decline during the late 1960s and 1970s. Urban expansion, habitat fragmentation, pesticide use and the spread of invasive red imported fire ants have combined to reduce suitable habitat while diminishing populations of native harvester ants; the lizard's primary food source. Today, the species is listed as threatened in Texas.
Although much of the horned lizard's remaining habitat lies on privately owned ranchlands, relatively little long-term ecological research has been conducted on these working landscapes. Reza's project seeks to address that gap by producing one of the most comprehensive ecological assessments ever undertaken on a private ranch.
Over the next two years, researchers will estimate horned lizard population density and abundance while documenting habitat preferences, seasonal activity, age structure and reproductive status. They also will examine how vegetation, soil characteristics, grazing practices, brush encroachment and other land management factors influence where horned lizards persist.
The project will place particular emphasis on native harvester ants, whose abundance is essential to sustaining healthy horned lizard populations. Researchers will map ant colonies throughout the ranch and compare their distribution with horned lizard observations to better understand how prey availability shapes habitat quality.
Fieldwork will be carried out by two graduate students in the Department of Natural Resources Management using traditional wildlife surveys, geographic information systems, habitat mapping and other geospatial technologies to create a detailed ecological profile of the property.
Located about three miles south of Spur, the study site encompasses approximately 6,000 acres of native grasslands, shrublands, mesquite communities, playa systems and livestock grazing pastures, offering an ideal setting for evaluating the environmental conditions that support remaining horned lizard populations.
The researchers expect the study to provide a scientific foundation for future conservation efforts while offering practical recommendations that ranchers can incorporate into everyday land management. The findings also will establish baseline ecological data for long-term monitoring of horned lizard populations and help evaluate the effectiveness of future conservation strategies.
For Richard Stevens, chair and Caeser Kleberg Endowed Professor of Wildlife Conservation in Texas Tech's Department of Natural Resources Management, the project demonstrates how partnerships with private landowners can advance both wildlife conservation and scientific discovery.
“This partnership to better understand and conserve one of the most iconic species in Texas is rooted in state-of-the-art science and a strong partnership with a valuable regional stakeholder,” Stevens said.
“Such a partnership is an example of the kind of community engagement that has become such an important component of research in the Department of Natural Resources Management, the Davis College, and ultimately Texas Tech University,” he said.
CONTACT: Richard Stevens, Chair & Caeser Kleberg Endowed Professor of Wildlife Conservation, Department of Natural Resources Management, Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources, Texas Tech University at (806) 834-6843 or richard.stevens@ttu.edu
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