
Critters
Stories and updates on some of the state’s many animals

All Hail the Alligator Gar, a Giant and Primordial River Monster
Anglers used to dismiss it as a “trash fish.” Now fishermen (and scientists) are recognizing the gar for the amazing creature it is.
The Hell Pig, the Texas Titanosaur, and Seven Other Outlandish Beasts That Once Roamed Big Bend
West Texas is home to some of the world's most spectacular fossils, from the gentle moose camel to the fearsome tusked swamp beast.
In Wichita Falls, Airport Officials Are Waging War on Egrets
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a bird crashing into a plane!
In Pursuit of Texas’s Rarest Bird, the Attwater’s Prairie Chicken
Fewer than 200 of the birds remain in the wild. Every spring, they put on a vibrant mating display.
Turkey Trouble in Sun City
Aggressive birds are ruffling feathers in an over-55 Georgetown neighborhood. Residents have fended off the gobblers with decorative pillows and golf clubs.
Release the ‘Toads’! A San Antonio Zoo Program Aims to Restore the Texas Horned Lizard Population
Dr. Andy Glusenkamp of the zoo's Center for Conservation & Research leads volunteers in a hands-on experience to preserve the beloved state reptile.
Meet Your New Nightmare, the Hammerhead Worm
If you try to kill it with a shovel, it’ll just split into two.
We Salute Buddy Holly, Westminster’s Prizewinning Pup (and an Honorary Texan)
He's from California, but we're still proud of him and his namesake.
Definitely Don’t Touch the “Blue Sea Dragons” Washing Up on Texas Beaches
This bizarre species has a more potent sting than a Portuguese man-of-war.
Move Over, Snake Farm: Reptilandia Is the Hill Country’s Classy New Reptile Zoo
Ghostly axolotls float, sausage-fat skinks dive, and snakes slither in thoughtfully designed, naturalistic habitats at the new Johnson City zoo.
The Ringtail Is Texas’s Nighttime Ninja
Count yourself lucky if you catch a glimpse of this common but shy nocturnal mammal.
Apocalypse Sow: Can Anything Stop the Feral Hog Invasion?
They’ve overrun nearly the entire state, causing hundreds of millions of dollars in damage annually in spite of widespread attempts at eradication—including traps, contraceptives, and a heavily armed Ted Nugent.
Purple Martins Are on the Wing in Texas
The majestic birds nest only in houses built by human “landlords.”
It’s Hummingbird Season in Texas. Here’s How to Bring Them to Your Yard.
The tiniest of Texas birds are also some of the most marvelous, reaching speeds of up to fifty miles per hour.
All the Ways Ben the Bear Is Plotting to Bust Out of the Brownsville Zoo
A serial escape artist, he’s coming to Texas after the Saint Louis Zoo couldn’t handle his wily ways.
A Fine-Art Photographer in Beaumont Focuses on the Beauty of Bugs
Lyne Raff gets up close and personal with moths, cicadas, and other intricate insects.
UT Scientists Discovered a Beaver Fossil and Named It After Buc-ee’s
Collected in 1941, A. buceei languished in a drawer for decades.
Did Your Wedding Even Count if There Were No Goats?
The new party VIPs are beer-drinking goats, beer-toting donkeys, and the occasional giraffe.
Congratulations to Mr. Pickles, the Houston Zoo’s Elderly Tortoise, on Becoming a Dad
He and Mrs. Pickles are the proud parents of three new hatchlings.
Mosquito Hawks Are Flitting All Over Texas
Favorable weather led to scads of the insects this spring. (And no, they don’t eat mosquitos.)
Meet the Texas Tech Researcher Who Broke the Beavers Story
Garret Langlois explains how he first stumbled upon, then dove into the exciting discovery that beavers had returned to the Llano Estacado after thousands of years.
This Texas Couple Helps Hatch Hundreds of Baby Wood Ducks
Bob and Donna McFarland have handed out 177 nest boxes for the colorful species.
The Hunt for Wildcat Fossils in Central Texas
In a dark corner of Natural Bridge Caverns, near San Antonio, wildcat bones lay undisturbed for thousands of years. Scientists are just beginning to unlock their mysteries.
What’s Up With All the Kangaroos on the Loose in Texas?
Two ’roos recently went walkabout, calling attention to the fact that in Texas it’s legal to keep them as pets—but that doesn’t mean you should.
Texas’s Biggest Coastal Wildlife Rescue Center Is Now Open in Corpus Christi
Visitors can watch injured sea turtles and dolphins recover at the state-of-the-art facility.
West Texans Are Learning What It Means to Live in Bear Country
Scientists are using GPS collars to gather surprising data—including on one bear that walked 35 miles to dumpster dive.
Beware the Mighty Mantis Shrimp
It’ll punch you with a tiny spear that has the force of a .22 rifle.
What the Heck Is Going On at the Dallas Zoo?
After a leopard escape, the suspicious death of a vulture, and the theft of two monkeys, Texans are anxiously awaiting an explanation.
After a Long Saga, a Weird Little Texas Cave Critter Is Staying on the Endangered Species List
The blind, elusive Bone Cave harvestman was at the center of a right-wing attempt to weaken the Endangered Species Act.
I Wrote a Book Called ‘The Leopard Is Loose.’ Then a Leopard Got Loose in Dallas.
An escape in 1950 inspired my novel. The wildly different public reactions show how much our relationship to animals has changed.
And You Thought Feral Hogs Were Bad. Fire Ants Have Unleashed Chaos in Texas for Decades.
It’s easy to forget that fire ants are actually an invasive species.
Pray for the Predator
Proposed regulations have prompted an intense backlash from hunters, trappers, and landowners.
Drilling in the Permian Is Lonely Work. A Rig Dog Can Help.
When Bruno went missing, Alex Reyna lost a key member of his oil-field crew.
Please Do Not Touch the “Toxic Toupee,” a.k.a. the “Mortal Mustache,” a.k.a. Texas’s Most Venomous Caterpillar
It’s furry and cute, but it can cause intense, throbbing pain for up to twelve hours!
Why a Houston-Area Emergency Room Has a “Snake Bucket”
From the man responsible for emptying it.
Where to Watch Thousands of Sandhill Cranes Storm the Texas Skies
Each winter, a wildlife sanctuary near the Panhandle hosts one of the world’s largest gatherings of these beautiful birds.
Meet the Patron Saint of Texas Game Fish
Years ago, Kenneth Henneke helped develop a feisty catfish, and now he stocks a variety of species for anglers across the state.
The Legend of Old Rip Was Pretty Unbelievable
I’m not sure I ever bought the story of the Texas horned lizard that survived thirty years in a courthouse cornerstone, but it’s a tale that reminds me why I love storytelling.
5,000 Years Later, Beavers Return to the High Plains of West Texas
Thousands of years after they were wiped out from the area, an obsessed wildlife ecologist has found evidence that the bucktoothed critters are beginning to recolonize.
Inside the Fight Between Texas’s Most Infamous Prison and Almost One Million Bats
The Huntsville penitentiary wants to tear down the abandoned warehouse where a massive bat colony spends half the year. Locals and conservationists have banded together to find an alternate solution.
The Texas “Moth Man” Is Retired But Still Clicking
Stuart Marcus has spent years identifying and photographing hundreds of species of moths near the Trinity River, but he still has more to go.
The Night That Grasshoppers Killed Texas League Baseball
Fifty years ago, a minor league game in Midland was postponed for the rarest of reasons—a swarm of grasshoppers biblical in its proportions.
This Quirky Hog-Callin’ Champ Was 100 Percent Herself
In 1998, Texas Country Reporter did an episode about Roxanne Ward, a champion hog caller who was quirky, kind, and so unapologetically herself we’ll never forget her.
The Little Turtles That Could: 45 Endangered Sea Turtles Hatch in Texas
“It really is one of the greatest wildlife-conservation successes of our time here in Texas.”
My Lifelong Dream Came True at South Padre’s Sea Turtle Inc.
Texas Country Reporter paid a visit to the world-class wildlife preservation center, where a rehabilitated Kemp’s ridley turtle made a return to the sea.
After the Big Year: What Came Next for the Texan Who Broke a National Birding Record
After taking her thousands of miles across 48 states, Tiffany Kersten’s adventure led her right back home.
Twelve of Texas’s Most Stunning Birds
The elusive bat falcon, the raucous chachalaca, and the luminous violet-crowned hummingbird belong on your life list.
A South Texan’s Wild, Life-affirming Quest to Break a National Birding Record
When she began her year-long bird-spotting adventure, Tiffany Kersten was lost and lonely. She ended up achieving a major milestone—and finding her way.
It’s Easy to Buy a Snake in Texas. Maybe Too Easy.
Almost anyone can walk out of an exotic reptile and pet show with a snake, scorpion, or tarantula. But should you?