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A Houston toad is going to be weighed before being released in Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n As America marks 250 years since its founding, one creature found only in the United States may not exist much longer. The Houston toad, native only in Texas, is struggling for survival, prompting desperate efforts from government officials and wildlife experts to save the species.<\/p>\n \u201cHouston toads and amphibians in general serve as an indicator species,\u201d said Matt Lammers, Houston Zoo\u2019s Houston Toad Recovery Coordinator, in a state announcement about the toad. \u201cThey let us know when habitats are starting to hit an ecological tipping point.\u201d<\/p>\n Habitats Declining<\/strong><\/p>\n An endangered Houston toad.<\/span><\/p>\n Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n This land toad, which measures from 2 to 3.5 inches long, varies from light brown, gray and purple. It is only found in Texas where only about 300 live in the wild due to habitat loss.<\/p>\n Conversion of previously forested land for farming and development is wiping out wetland areas where the toads live, according<\/u><\/a> to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Houston toad is endangered in large part due to poor habitat management. Almost every contemporary conservation question is ultimately a land management question,\u201d Lammers said.<\/p>\n Government Intervention<\/strong><\/p>\n Houston toad tadpoles on the shoreline of a pond in Central Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n Aubry Buzek\/USFWS<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n A USFWS biological report issued six years ago on this endangered amphibian noted that captive propagation efforts have helped increase the numbers of Houston toads, but they face an uncertain future due to a continuous decline in habitat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe believe the toad won\u2019t survive without active habitat management and restoration,\u201d said Greg Creacy, natural resources program director for Texas State Parks. \u201cBut the same is true for many other species that depend on healthy, resilient landscapes.\u201d<\/p>\n The dire situation has prompted a joint partnership between TPWD, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Houston Zoo and the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy to reintroduce the species into the wild. <\/p>\n Biologists release Houston toad eggs produced by the Houston Zoo into a pond in Central Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n Aubry Buzek\/USFWS<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n TPWD officials recently released 1 million toad eggs at Bastrop State Park in central Texas. In the spring, batches of 200,000 eggs were released into shallow ponds typical for wild breeding.<\/p>\n The goal is to reverse shrinking populations\u2014and also for the species to signal the state of the environment in Texas since the species indicates overall habitat health.<\/p>\n Paul Crump, TPWD herpetologist, noted in a public announcement<\/u><\/a> that \u201cpartnership is a key element of the program.\u201d<\/p>\n Bags of Houston toad eggs acclimating in a release pond in Central Texas.<\/span><\/p>\n Aubry Buzek\/USFWS<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Bags of eggs were placed in the water to be acclimated. \u201cFrom there, they [toad eggs] are released into the water, where over time, the eggs turn into tadpoles, and the tadpoles turn into toadlets, which begin climbing the bank and into the wooded areas,\u201d TPWD explained.<\/p>\n Of the 1 million released this spring, some 50,000 may survive according to statistics. Their life expectancy is around three years.<\/p>\n The Need for Human Assistance<\/strong><\/p>\n Houston Zoo and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff perform a sonogram on a female Houston toad to determine the presence and size of eggs.<\/span><\/p>\n USFWS<\/small><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n \u201cFor many pond-breeding amphibians, only about 5% of eggs survive to metamorphosis. Those that survive and turn into tiny toadlets will concentrate within 15 feet of the ponds edge for about one to three weeks, eating small invertebrates and trying to avoid predators like red-imported fire ants, birds and snakes,\u201d UFWS<\/u><\/a> says.<\/p>\n The toad was first listed as an endangered species in 1970, but the last five decades has seen its steady decline. Along with the Florida manatee, Mojave desert tortoise and the Red Wolf, it is one of many species native to the United States facing threats to its survival.<\/p>\n Is it too late to save the species and recover lost habitats?<\/p>\n Creacy said that the toads\u2019 survival will depend on human assistance.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile our overall goal is maintaining resilient landscapes for all species, preventing the Houston toad\u2019s extinction has required extraordinary effort for many years \u2014 and we\u2019re not out of the woods yet,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n