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 #1489668


TysMom02
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 Relocation Distance

Hi all, I have a question about relocating a horned lizard. I know they are protected here in Texas and I know that I won’t be keeping what I have caught except for the time it takes to get an answer to this question. I have a small lizard that I have taken away from my dog. For the last two days this lizard has come out from under my deck and my dog bounces around the yard chasing it. She is a rottweiler, so it’s just a matter of time before she gives it that fatal stomp (she does kill snakes). My question is how precise does placing them back into the wild have to be? We are in a neighborhood, but about 3/4 -1 mile away there is completely undeveloped land. Will it hurt to take this fella there and release him?

I really don’t want to see him get hurt in the neighborhood. The land that my neighborhood and quite a few around me was actually ranch land that my grandfather ran cattle on 15+ years ago. I can remember these lizards being very plentiful, almost as common as the house geckos that visit every night. Of course the red ant population was up there as well, now we just live with the lovely fire ants. I don’t think I would be exaggerating if I said it’s been 10 years since I have seen one in the wild. We used to play with them all the time, it’s sad to see their numbers drop like they have, this guy is just so adorable and special.

So, tell me it will be ok and I’ll be on my way out the door. If it’s not ok, then please give me some suggestions, I just know leaving it would have certainly not ended well. Should I contact Texas Parks & Wildlife, should this one be marked in any way?? I dunno, so I’m asking, lol. Thanks!
10/25/07  12:39am

 #1490150


TysMom02
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   Message To: TysMom02   In reference to Message Id: 1489668


 Relocation Distance

This seems to be a slowish forum. I hope I’m doing the right thing. I’m about to leave and release this little one down the road a bit. I scoped the area early this morning and without jumping the fence I see what appears to be a red ant home. My husband is going with me to aid me in jumping the fence (I’m not going to challenge a barbed wire fence alone! lol) and releasing deeper into the field and not next to the road however untraveled it may be.



10/25/07  03:12pm

 #1490300


Phrynosoma_Texas_FS3
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   Message To: TysMom02   In reference to Message Id: 1490150


 Relocation Distance

You have to be patient here because we don’t wait around all day for stuff to answer. But I do check this forum several times during the day.

What city are you in?

I am the co-founder of Wichita Falls Reptile Rescue and a member of the Horned Lizard Conservation Society- Texas Chapter. You should not release the Horned Lizard somewhere else without further consultation. There is a reason the Horned Lizard was under your porch. It is probably looking for a place to hibernate, as we have frequent cold fronts coming through now. There is another on the way in fact. If you have taken it off into some field that it is not familar with, and where it has no cover, then you have likely signed it’s death warrant when it gets caught out in the cold tonight, or in the next few days with the next front.

This is why you should not touch priotected wildlife if you do not know what you are doing. In the state of Texas, what you have done, even well intentioned, could get you into trouble. You need to consult with knowledgeable people before doing this sort of thing, and I hope you have not carried out your plan yet!!



10/25/07  05:18pm

 #1490315


TysMom02
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   Message To: Phrynosoma_Texas_FS3   In reference to Message Id: 1490300


 Relocation Distance

I actually did end up calling Texas Parks and Wildlife (I wanted to make sure it didn’t need to be documented, tagged or something) and was told that as long as I was not releasing it into a bare field it will be fine. Where I released him did in fact have two red ant homes and it has many, many rocks, ledges, a few short cliffs, tiny caverns, fallen trees, a pond. It’s exactly what the land is like here minus the neighborhood. I also called the police dept as I really did not feel comfortable will trespassing, so I had a police escort as well.

Your probably right, it was more than likely looking for a place to hibernate, but under my deck is most certainly a death warrant as that is my dogs territory. Just this year she has killed 9 snakes, many field mice, frogs, a hand full of birds, several squirrel’s and what almost sent her packing 1 feline. It took some time for my husband to convince me that unfortunately the cat was in her territory. She is a doll with my 1 year old, but put some kind of critter in her back yard and it will not come out alive.

I didn’t want to keep it any longer than I had to, so I made phone calls and I feel it was released in a very safe and secure place with tons of shelter and at least two food sources. Heck, I didn’t even realize there were any red ants around here anymore!! Oh, I’m just north of Austin btw.



10/25/07  05:45pm

 #1490367


Phrynosoma_Texas_FS3
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   Message To: TysMom02   In reference to Message Id: 1490315


 Relocation Distance

Ok, well there are not that many people at TPWD that are very Horned Lizard or reptile specific with their knowledge unless you happened to be talking to Lee Ann Linam, or another officer of the HLCS. I am a reptile specialist, and my specialty is Horned Lizards. I know I am probably right about it using the deck as shelter for hibernation. It’s too late in the season for anything else. Under a deck it is going retain humidity and provide cover from many of the elements. The soil is probably more suited to burrowing as well. Horned Lizards also have home ranges that do not extend very far, only about the size of a football field or two, and from the time they hatch they are imprinted on the local terrain that is their home; hence, they should not be relocated any more than this distance away from where they are found ideally.

Yes, they may make it somewhere else, but release studies indicate they may migrate away from where you put them in search of their original home range...where they are familiar with resources. Turtles are the same way. And this late in the season, for a Horned Lizard to be trying to find proper shelter, resources, and a good place to hibernate...or wandering- is risky. Most Horned Lizards are probably already hibernating in Texas. So, your "feeling" that it was a safe area is not necessarily so unless you understand these factors.

I thank you for your efforts and concern for the Horned Lizard. I understand that you probably figured that almost anyone at TPWD could answer such questions, or be versed in the habits of these lizards, but they really are not. They know much more about game hunting and what actually brings them in revenue.

The lizard did not need to be tagged, but photos for determination of age and sex would have been useful for reporting data. If you would like to assist the Horned Lizard Watch Program, you can download the forms from TPWD, or see the HLCS webite @ http://hornedlizards.org With these report forms you can report the sighting of the Horned Lizard and help us keep track of their populations. You may also expect more Horned Lizards, if not now, then in the spring, as the area under your deck probably provided a good nesting environment as well. Mother Horned Lizards may seek it out to bury eggs next summer, and the one you find might have in fact been born there. There may be siblings as well. I used to live in Round Rock and later worked for a time near Hutto, so I am familiar with the area. There are still harvester ant colonies around, but the development, especially in Round Rock and similar areas are destroying habitat.

If you have any issues with squirrels in the future, I also do squirrel rescue.



10/25/07  06:26pm


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