The Texas Horned Lizard

Lizards have a large belly that can consume hundreds of ants and other insects every day, but it reduces agility and speed (Pianka & Hodges 1995). Instead, it has adapted to other survival mechanisms like the camouflage scale. The color and texture of the scales are in harmony with the desert and the rock sitting on (Pianka & Hodges 1995). Instead of trying to escape, the lizard lowers his body to the ground, hides its shadow and makes it look like a living thing (Oklahoma 1996).

The name of the lizard reflects its appearance: two large angular scales above its head complete the illusion of the dragon. The name Molok was used in ancient gods of the Near East. This tricky dragon has nicknames of others like "Devil Lizard", "Tricky Devil", "Angle Lizard", "Tricky Baboon". In 1841, biologist John Edward Gray first explained this tricky dragon in writing. It is the only dragon of the Moroccan genus, but many taxonomists suspect that other species may exist in the wild. The tricky dragon has a relationship with a similarly shaped North American lizard lizard. This similarity is often considered an example of convergent evolution.

This lizard was discovered only in eastern New Mexico and western Texas and was discovered in the harsh and dry landscape of oil and gas wells that have been filled for decades. As the situation of the lizard became very strict in 2010, the US Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list these species under the Endangered Species Act. But only two years ago the institution withdrew its suggestion for voluntary protection agreements for New Mexico and Texas lizards. Do these agreements really protect seeds? Although the agreement of New Mexico seems to be no problem, the Texas agreement caused various warnings. For example, neither the service department nor the general public can see how the landowner agrees to protect the lizard from oil and gas development in what kind of protection measures.

Although the service is considering our petition, the Texas Office of Corporate Auditors is trying to fix the defective Texas program to address these flaws. Better plans can do a lot to protect the lizard, as they plan, as the plan will be effective long before the service begins to protect the lizard. It is difficult to see which country recognizes the country's protection plan as defective. Since Office of the Comptroller has done this, let's make sure that the service supports Office's request to change the Texas program. If both institutions succeed, lizards are still possible in the future of Texas.