"They get around fine without a toe or two"...would like to see how the biologist gets around without a toe or two. That would be entertaining. @5:45 neosporin? For an open wound on the base of a digit? Who taught you people veterinary medicine/wildlife rehab? Antibiotic ointment will merely cause debris to stick to the gel and thus contaminate the wound even worse as the lizard walks thru the dirt! IF you wanted to help at all after harming the creature, you would use something like Vetbond.
You would think photography of scale patterns combined with documentation of other physical features and geographic location would yield better records than digit clipping. Seems a bit invasive and in a scientific way could interfere with the end resulting data of the study. At least they aren't gassing areas and collecting the bodies.
Additionally, many species, including the Texas HL, have a unique pattern of spots on belly which can be scanned in the field like a fingerprint. Such a method is a more humane way to identify HLs in the field later than a missing toe. It would require a little more effort on TPWDs part to be humane however and I realize that may be an inconvenience for academics. How can you tell if the HL missing a toe is due to your clipping it, or a bad shed that caused ischemic necrosis of the digit?
You should not be cutting their toes. How would you like your toe cut off? They have those toes because they need them. What, do you think they can't feel pain? And then you violate them? Unsubscribing and thumbs down.
I grew up in San Angelo on the far west side of town. Less than two blocks from the city limits. There was a ton of open land. Use to find them by the hundreds from the mid 60's to late 70's. But all that open land is now gone, now there's tons of house and business. From what I hear now, that have become very difficult to find.
I love these guys and im all about the conservation of these guys, but please simply use the spots on their bellies for identifying...all are different. I have one here at home, in Iowa...I didnt actually realize they were quite as threatened as they are. These are captive bred up here...pretty easy compared to different species we have had....oh and dont be upset about us keeping him please...I order 1000 ants every week, and dust the others with formical so he still gets the formic acid =)
This activity meets the definition of animal cruelty, specifically because less invasive and less harmful means are available to get the same data (blood or oral swabs), yet you people refuse to retire your field mutilation techniques. If this were John Q. Public you would cite him for harming protected wildlife. I am a reptile rehabilitator, and I would treat any horned lizards handled by your people in this manner as a patient needing medical care!~ Society for Horned Lizard Preservation
They are now very rare to find. I stopped seeing them about 20 years ago in Southern California where they were once common. They are super cute and hopefully will be saved.
Caught them all my life in the Lubbock, TX area! Always in summer, and just caught a fine specimen today to show my nephew and niece from out of state!
+Shinobi Anonymous I expect you're partially right, but the lizard doesn't eat ONLY harvester ants. And as a critter that's been around as many thousands of years as they have, the horny toad is adaptable. It evolves, just as we do.
Toe clipping by TPWD and their cronies in universities and Master Naturalist programs across the state is cruel & antiquated. People untrained in veterinary medicine are performing "field amputations" using things like nail clippers.No antimicrobial prep of the surface being done before amputation to prevent risk of infection.No analgesia is given to the horned lizards to alleviate pain before or after the procedure.Predators may pick up the scent of the open wound...(cont)
Why do you need to clip a toe? Makes no sense when there is far less invasive ways to gather DNA samples. I would think there is a far greater risk for infection or other complications from clipping a toe such as oral swab!
I'm perfectly fine with these folks trying to help the species, but please stop cutting off their toes! I know there is a much easier way of collecting dna which won't harm the lizards! I grew up playing with these lil guys and i haven't seen one in decades now! So sad :(
The horned lizard is a protected endangered species, which means it is illegal to catch, keep or sell them, but biologists and wildlife experts working with the state to conserve the population are allowed to. They don't do well in captivity to begin with, which is why it's not a good idea for other folks to try and catch and breed them. That would just risk damaging the population further. Best to leave it to the experts.
Is Monsanto going to pick up that DNA information and start cloning the poor lizards next??? Maybe patent them??? Lizards and any other species are disappearing because of polution, loss of habitat, loss of food, etc. Where/how are they supposed to survive if we with all our technology are dying from cancer caused by the same problems?
That's messed up'' how would u like some body cut of your toe! But I do understand I have had one for years ''and he knows me and loves me ''Because he has all his DIGETS''lol
You can dispense with the song and dance. There is much more value to the existence of this creature than any lame entertainment. Otherwise, this was very informative. Thanks.
"Once you see your first horned lizard and you realize how imminent their demise could be, you can't help but get involved and try to do something--like tracking them down, cutting their toes off, sticking a phosphorescent patch on their back with super glue so you can watch what they eat at night, weighing them, etc." Bunch of geniuses in the parks and wildlife department.... MAYBE they're disappearing due to urban sprawl in Texas??? HMMMMM Do ya think??
+TheNathanScot You can think that, but it's more than just urban sprawl. In deep South Texas where I grew up in the late 40s and 50s the horny toad was as common as dirt. The area hasn't expanded that much. But the horned frog population has dwindled to almost nothing. The Big Bend area of West Texas has fewer people, less industry than just about any place save the far reaches of Alaska. A single county, Brewster is bigger than some STATES, yet has a tiny population. No agriculture. Cleanest air in the country. Explain how urban sprawl is a factor there. TPWD has some of the sharpest wildlife biologists on the planet. They love their work. They take it about as seriously as a heart attack. I'm gonna go with THEM over you, even if you believe you're the last word in wisdom.
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I remember playing with these guys when I was a kid in the 80's-90's in the Fort Worth area but I havent seen any since. Always loved these guys.
"They get around fine without a toe or two"...would like to see how the biologist gets around without a toe or two. That would be entertaining. @5:45 neosporin? For an open wound on the base of a digit? Who taught you people veterinary medicine/wildlife rehab? Antibiotic ointment will merely cause debris to stick to the gel and thus contaminate the wound even worse as the lizard walks thru the dirt! IF you wanted to help at all after harming the creature, you would use something like Vetbond.
hmm th gentlemen,collecting toes ,says he's "done over 1000, of these lizards. I wonder how many they have lost due to infection?
Yeah, the research is sus.
There are a bunch of these in our property. It's hard to spot them though, they blend in very well withe the surroundings.
They might die out If you keep cutting they're damn toes off......
You would think photography of scale patterns combined with documentation of other physical features and geographic location would yield better records than digit clipping. Seems a bit invasive and in a scientific way could interfere with the end resulting data of the study. At least they aren't gassing areas and collecting the bodies.
Additionally, many species, including the Texas HL, have a unique pattern of spots on belly which can be scanned in the field like a fingerprint. Such a method is a more humane way to identify HLs in the field later than a missing toe. It would require a little more effort on TPWDs part to be humane however and I realize that may be an inconvenience for academics. How can you tell if the HL missing a toe is due to your clipping it, or a bad shed that caused ischemic necrosis of the digit?
You should not be cutting their toes. How would you like your toe cut off? They have those toes because they need them. What, do you think they can't feel pain? And then you violate them? Unsubscribing and thumbs down.
I grew up in San Angelo on the far west side of town. Less than two blocks from the city limits. There was a ton of open land. Use to find them by the hundreds from the mid 60's to late 70's. But all that open land is now gone, now there's tons of house and business. From what I hear now, that have become very difficult to find.
I love these guys and im all about the conservation of these guys, but please simply use the spots on their bellies for identifying...all are different. I have one here at home, in Iowa...I didnt actually realize they were quite as threatened as they are. These are captive bred up here...pretty easy compared to different species we have had....oh and dont be upset about us keeping him please...I order 1000 ants every week, and dust the others with formical so he still gets the formic acid =)
This activity meets the definition of animal cruelty, specifically because less invasive and less harmful means are available to get the same data (blood or oral swabs), yet you people refuse to retire your field mutilation techniques. If this were John Q. Public you would cite him for harming protected wildlife. I am a reptile rehabilitator, and I would treat any horned lizards handled by your people in this manner as a patient needing medical care!~ Society for Horned Lizard Preservation
They are now very rare to find. I stopped seeing them about 20 years ago in Southern California where they were once common. They are super cute and hopefully will be saved.
My theory for the demise of the horneytoad is the increase in the corvid, which follows habitation by man.
Caught them all my life in the Lubbock, TX area! Always in summer, and just caught a fine specimen today to show my nephew and niece from out of state!
The decline of Harvester Ants, due to the increase of Fire Ants play a huge factor that threaten the Horned Lizard.
+Shinobi Anonymous
I expect you're partially right, but the lizard doesn't eat ONLY harvester ants. And as a critter that's been around as many thousands of years as they have, the horny toad is adaptable. It evolves, just as we do.
Indeed, evolution either makes or breaks any species.
Get rid of the crows and solve the problem for all desert species!
Let's save the lizards, let's start by cutting their toes off. As long as you make money.
rah rah TCU!!!!
Toe clipping by TPWD and their cronies in universities and Master Naturalist programs across the state is cruel & antiquated. People untrained in veterinary medicine are performing "field amputations" using things like nail clippers.No antimicrobial prep of the surface being done before amputation to prevent risk of infection.No analgesia is given to the horned lizards to alleviate pain before or after the procedure.Predators may pick up the scent of the open wound...(cont)
Why do you need to clip a toe? Makes no sense when there is far less invasive ways to gather DNA samples. I would think there is a far greater risk for infection or other complications from clipping a toe such as oral swab!
I'm perfectly fine with these folks trying to help the species, but please stop cutting off their toes! I know there is a much easier way of collecting dna which won't harm the lizards! I grew up playing with these lil guys and i haven't seen one in decades now! So sad :(
@anikinippon We have native species of fire ants in Texas and all across the SW.
Is it poaching?
The horned lizard is a protected endangered species, which means it is illegal to catch, keep or sell them, but biologists and wildlife experts working with the state to conserve the population are allowed to. They don't do well in captivity to begin with, which is why it's not a good idea for other folks to try and catch and breed them. That would just risk damaging the population further. Best to leave it to the experts.
Is Monsanto going to pick up that DNA information and start cloning the poor lizards next??? Maybe patent them???
Lizards and any other species are disappearing because of polution, loss of habitat, loss of food, etc. Where/how are they supposed to survive if we with all our technology are dying from cancer caused by the same problems?
They are all over southwestern Colorado. Maybe because we don't cut off toes?
That's messed up'' how would u like some body cut of your toe! But I do understand I have had one for years ''and he knows me and loves me ''Because he has all his DIGETS''lol
i jjust got one and i really wanna know how many days can they go without eating?
All the critcism here is mind boggling. Only on youtube.
Who's here cause of Contemporary Bio?
I do not like the toe amputations at all!
You can dispense with the song and dance. There is much more value to the existence of this creature than any lame entertainment. Otherwise, this was very informative. Thanks.
@najiwench I'm Makis and i approve this message
"Once you see your first horned lizard and you realize how imminent their demise could be, you can't help but get involved and try to do something--like tracking them down, cutting their toes off, sticking a phosphorescent patch on their back with super glue so you can watch what they eat at night, weighing them, etc." Bunch of geniuses in the parks and wildlife department.... MAYBE they're disappearing due to urban sprawl in Texas??? HMMMMM Do ya think??
+TheNathanScot
You can think that, but it's more than just urban sprawl. In deep South Texas where I grew up in the late 40s and 50s the horny toad was as common as dirt. The area hasn't expanded that much. But the horned frog population has dwindled to almost nothing. The Big Bend area of West Texas has fewer people, less industry than just about any place save the far reaches of Alaska. A single county, Brewster is bigger than some STATES, yet has a tiny population. No agriculture. Cleanest air in the country. Explain how urban sprawl is a factor there. TPWD has some of the sharpest wildlife biologists on the planet. They love their work. They take it about as seriously as a heart attack. I'm gonna go with THEM over you, even if you believe you're the last word in wisdom.
horned lizard loss is mostly because of the loss of red ant mounds. what do most people do when they see an ant mound? they stomp it out.