The Texas Horned Lizard

Rachel Granberg is a recent masters graduate from Texas Tech University who’s research was focused on Texas horned lizard habitat loss and degradation in central Texas, where the species has experienced severe declines over the past 70 years. Habitat loss and degradation are caused by conversion of native prairie to agriculture or urban areas, but also by exclusion of fire from the ecosystem. Fire is a natural form of disturbance that has occurred for thousands of years in prairies, reducing the persistence of shrubs and trees and allowing a grassy understory to thrive.

This new Eyes on Conservation film shows the work that it took to study this fascinating species, from tracking and monitoring behavior to trapping and attaching radio transmitters to the lizards.