More Than a Mascot: TCU's Fight for the Horned FrogBig Stories • Season 3, Episode 46
Feb 12, 2026 • 13m
Texas horned lizards, the spiky, blood-squirting reptiles that inspired TCU's mascot, once filled backyards across the Lone Star State. But since the 1960s, these iconic creatures have been vanishing from their native habitat. TCU is assisting Texas Parks and Wildlife and local zoos in an ambitious conservation effort to bring them back: raising baby horned lizards in captivity, studying their survival, and releasing them into the wild. In this episode, you’ll follow the surprising, hands-on work behind horned lizard conservation—tracking tiny reptiles with radio tags, using hot dogs to target invasive fire ants, and studying the hidden places these little creatures choose to survive.
Guests:
Dean Williams - Professor of Biology at TCU
Kira Gangbin- TCU PhD Candidate