texas parks and wildlife

SYMBOLSOF TEXASAT TEXAS STATE PARKS

TEXAS STATE SYMBOLS

State Dinosaur: PleurocoelusNamed by the Legislature in 1997.

This 60-foot-long sauropod from 119-105 millionyears ago left its fossilized footprints in manyparts of Central and North-Central Texas.Visit Dinosaur Valley State Park and stand in areal footprint!

State Bird:NorthernMockingbirdOfficially recognized by theLegislature in 1927.

State Flower: BluebonnetOfficially adopted in 1901.

Several varieties of this lupine blanketthe Texas countryside each spring.

State Insect:Monarch ButterflyNamed by the Legislature in 1995.

State Small Mammal:Nine-banded ArmadilloNamed by the Legislature in 1995.

Spanish conquistadors named this strangemammal “little man in armor.” Armadillosgrunt almost constantly while digging forbeetles, ants, termites and earthworms to eat.Females always give birth to four identicalbabies. Imagine having three brothers orsisters exactly like you!

State Flying Mammal: Mexican Free-tailed BatNamed by the Legislature in 1995.

This amazing mammal can fly up to 60 miles per hour with a tail wind andup to an altitude over 10,000 feet in the air! These bats are important tofarmers and ranchers, eating tons of pests such as moths, flying ants, weevils,stink-bugs and ground beetles each year. They live in caves known as “guanocaves” after the name for their droppings. Mexican free-tailed bats can befound throughout Texas, with 100 million spending the summer in the HillCountry. Most of the bats head to Mexico to avoid cold weather, but thosein East Texas hang around for the winter months. Devil’s Sinkhole StateNatural Area is a great place to visit bats.

State Grass:Sideoats GramaOfficially adopted in 1971

A nutritious native speciesfavored by wildlife as wellas livestock. Look for abluish-green grass reaching15 to 30 inches tall.

State Tree: PecanOfficially adopted in 1919.

State Plant:Prickly PearAdopted by theLegislature in 1995.

State Reptile: Horned LizardNamed by the Legislature in 1993.

Once common throughout Texas, thisinteresting lizard, often miscalled a“horned toad,” has become relatively rare.It is typically found in open country whereit can run surprisingly fast before duckinginto a rock pile or clump of vegetation. Thisprehistoric-looking, reddish-brown reptile, with itshead spines and fringed scales along each side of the body, isone of three species of horned lizard native to Texas. To discourage predators, this lizard can squirtblood from the corner of its eyes. It feeds on insects (usually ants), spiders and sowbugs. You can win anoutdoor adventure kit by participating in the Hometown Horned Lizard Contest! To learn more, visit:www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/texas_nature_trackers/

State Large Mammal: LonghornNamed by the Legislature in 1995.

Longhorn herds can be seen at these parks:Abilene State Park, Big Bend Ranch, CopperBreaks State Park, Fort Griffin State Park andHistoric Site, Lyndon B. Johnson State Parkand Historic Site, Palo Duro Canyon StatePark and Possum Kingdom State Park.

State Fish: Guadalupe BassNamed by the Legislature in 1980.

This native freshwater fish is greenish on top,yellow-white on bottom and has 12 bars along itsside. It can grow as long as 15 inches. Found onlyin Texas, you can catch the Guadalupe bass in partsof the Guadalupe River, the Colorado River, theBrazos River and the Nueces rivers.

State Seashell:LightningWhelkAdopted by theLegislature in 1987.

VISIT STATE HISTORIC SITES

Casa Navarro StateHistoric Site in SanAntonio,Texas. CasaNavarro is the restoredhome of Tejano patriotJose Antonio Navarro.He was an influentialperson in the fight forTexas independence.

The Kreische Home at Monument Hill and Kreische Brewery StateHistoric Sites in La Grange,Texas. Kreische Brewery contains ruins of a unique1870s German brewery. The tomb of Texas martyrs, victims of the Battle of Salado(1842) and the notorious “Black Bean Incident” (1843) is located at Monument Hill.

Dogtrot Cabin atStephen F. AustinState Park and SanFelipe State HistoricSite in San Felipe,Texas.The site of the townshipof San Felipe is known asthe “Cradle of the TexasLiberty.”

This 1850s Greek Revival house atSebastopol House StateHistoric Site in Seguin,Texas isconstructed of limecrete.

Independence Hall at Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site in Washington,Texas is the birthplace of the Republic of Texas.

The Sauer-Beckmann Living History Farm at Lyndon B.Johnson State Historic Site in Stonewall,Texas is arestored 1918 German farmstead. Watch people milk acow and learn how to make real butter.

The San JacintoMonument at SanJacintoBattleground StateHistoric Site in LaPorte,Texas is the tallestmonument in the U.S.and is built on the actualbattleground whereTexas won itsindependence from

REPTILES AT TEXAS STATE PARKS

To spot an alligator, watch for two knobby eyes and two nostrilssticking out of the water. This means the rest of the alligator is justbelow the surface. Alligators can be found at Choke Canyon andBrazos Bend state parks.

Alligator Etiquette Rules1. Absolutely do not feed or

annoy alligators.2. If you love your pet, keep it on

a leash.3. Do not assume alligators are

slow-moving or sluggish.4. Keep a safe distance at all

times – at least 30 feet fromany alligator.

5. If you hook a fish, an alligatormay go after your catch.

6. When an alligator stands itsground, opens its mouth andhisses, you have come too close.

The Houston Toad, named after the city where theanimal was first discovered, closely resembles its north-ern relative, the American toad. Historically the Houstontoad probably bred in temporary ponds throughoutTexas’ pine-oak forests and post-oak woodlands, or insmall pools along the sandy, gravelly creeks. The speciesis now largely restricted to Bastrop County and is listedas an endangered species. The Houston toad can befound at Bastrop State Park.

The 20- to 30-inch-long venomous Texas CoralSnake is not a pit viper but belongs to the same groupas the Old World cobras and mambas. Although it has asmall mouth and short fangs, the coral snake can stillinflict a very dangerous bite by pinching the skin, chewingdown and injecting its powerful venom. It is colorfullybanded in the following order: a broad black ring, a muchnarrower yellow ring, a broad red ring, a narrow yellowring, a broad black ring and so on. Some harmlesssnakes have similar banding, but the colors are arrangeddifferently. Whenever you see a snake with red andyellow rings that touch, be very careful. It is proba-bly a coral snake.

FISH IN WATERS OF TEXAS STATE PARKS

The Blue Catfish is native to the larger rivers across thestate and is also found in smaller rivers along the coast. It isslate-blue above, shading to white on the belly. It has adeeply forked tail and the upper jaw sticks out slightly beyondthe lower one. Usually the fish reaches 20 to 40 pounds,although at one time 100-pound specimens were caught.

The Channel Catfish is pale blue to olive along the back and sides,and white below. Like all catfish, it has “whiskers” or barbels around themouth. It can grow up to four feet in length. Unlike the blue catfish,the channel catfish has scattered dark spots along the back and sides.

Named for its big mouth, the Largemouth Bass is a silvery, greenishfish, with a broad black side stripe. If you look at the jaws, you can seethat the mouth opening reaches back beyond the eye. It can grow up tothree feet in length. As in all basses, the male makes a circular clearing onthe bottom by fanning its fins. After the female lays her eggs in this nest,the male remains to guard the developing young.

Bluegill Sunfish can be distinguishedfrom other sunfish by a dark spot at therear of the dorsal fin and by dark verticalbars along their sides. Males build andthen guard gravel “nests” on the bottomuntil the eggs hatch and the fry (babyfish) leave. Adult fish feed on aquaticinsects and larvae (mainly midge larvae).Two-pound fish are not uncommon, andthe record is 4 pounds 12 ounces.

BIRDS AT TEXAS STATE PARKS

The Great Horned Owl gets its name from thetwo tufts of feathers that stick up from the top ofits head, looking like horns. This owl hunts mostlyat night, preying mainly on rodents, but it alsocaptures rabbits, crayfish, lizards, snakes and insects.It lives in abandoned hawk nests and tree cavities.Like other owls, its spits up pellets containing theundigested parts (bones and fur) of its last meal.

The male Painted Bunting is one of themost colorful birds in Texas. The brightplumage is not attained by young males untilthey are two years old. This is unusualamong songbirds. The one-year-old malesare solid green like the females, but they dosing and defend territories.

Both male and female Northern Cardinalssing a variety of songs year-round. Unlike thecrimson-colored male, the female bird hasbrownish feathers, tinged with red. The nest,found in bushes, is bowl-shaped and made oftwigs and grass.

The Great Blue Heronis a large, long-legged, wad-ing bird. This four-foot birdlives near water and nestsin colonies on rock ledgesor in trees. Sometimes itcan be seen hunting formice and gophers in a field.Usually, it catches fish andother water creatures forfood by “spearing” themwith its beak. Imagine fish-ing with your nose insteadof a pole!

Did You Know That...Male and female birds of the same species often look different. The male useshis more colorful appearance to “show off” for the female and to “warm off”other males. The female’s dull colors help camouflage her on the nest.

MAMMALS AT TEXAS STATE PARKS

Virginia Opossums – usually called opossums –are marsupials or pouched mammals. Their babiesare very small and undeveloped when first born.They spend a long time in a pouch on the mother’sbelly before moving around on their own. The face iswhite with a gray and black body.

The Eastern Fox Squirrel is thelargest North American tree squirrel,measuring almost 20 inches. The upperparts are usually yellowish gray mixedwith black while the underparts areorange-buff, but there is a great deal ofvariation among individuals. Acorns arethe main food, but insects, shoots andfruits are also eaten.

The Black-tailed Jackrabbit is known for itsvery long ears. It runs so fast, most dogs do notstand a chance of catching it. These rabbits eat grass-es, herbs, cactus, sagebrush and mesquite. Unlikeother baby rabbits, jackrabbits are active almostimmediately after birth.

The Common Raccoon runs and climbswell, and swims if necessary. It lives mainlyin wooded areas and is never found too farfrom water. It is most active at night andeats large quantities of fruits, nuts, acornsand insects, as well as catching prey such asfrogs, fish, mice and birds. Raccoons oftenraid garbage cans and campsites. So be sureto lock up your food and trash tight.

The Striped Skunk is the most widelydistributed of the six species of skunksfound in Texas. Like all skunks, it can spraya foul-smelling fluid from its rear end whenit feels threatened. The striped skunk livesin wooded or brushy areas in dens underlarge boulders or in deserted burrows ofother animals. The striped skunk diet isquite mixed: insects, spiders, lizards andsnakes, small mammals, vegetation and smallground birds are all on the menu.

White-tailedDeer are found allacross Texas. It livesmostly in woodlandsthat are not toodense. White-taileddeer eat all kinds ofvegetation, includinggrasses, weeds, twigs,leaves, acorns, nuts,fruits and fungi.Seven deer eat aboutas much food as onemedium-sized cow!

The Collared Peccary or Javelina isa piglike mammal common to most ofSouth and West Texas. It feeds on plantssuch as prickly pear cactus, mesquite beans,lechuguilla and sotol. Javelinas travel inbands of up to several dozen and are oftenfound in dense thickets. They only attackwhen they feel threatened; especially whenthere are young around.

Coyotes eat large numbers of small rodentsand act as scavengers by consuming carrion(dead animals). They also feed on insects and thefruits of various plants. Curiously, coyotes actu-ally eat more plant than animal food. Very littleof their prey is larger than rats or rabbits.Coyotes commonly use park trails and roadwaysfor travel, hunting and other activities. You canoften see their tracks during the day. They canbe heard howling at night. The coyote is brownand tan.

The streaked and spotted Bobcat is foundthroughout Texas. It is a medium-sized red-dish brown or grayish cat. Bobcats huntmainly at night for small mammals and birds.Two to seven young are usually born in April.This wild cat is very adaptable and can liveclose to human development.

TEXAS TRACKS

FORE

HIND

11/2"

2"

13/4"

13/4"

BOBCAT

FORE

HIND

11/2"

11/4"

COLLARED PECCARY(Javelina)

HIND

COYOTE

You may know Texas wildlife, but do you knowtheir tracks? Some like the rabbit and opossumare easily recognized. Others such as the coyote,collared peccary and bobcat may be confused withtheir domesticated cousins the dog, pig and housecat. Tracks are easily followed in snow or loosesand. Prints made in soft mud are best for study.

FORE23/4"

FORE

HIND

FOX SQUIR-

2"

FORE

HIND

OPOSSUM

2"

HIND

RACCOON

33/4"

FORE

WHITE-TAILED DEER

FORE

HIND

RINGTAIL

1"

SKUNK

11/2"

FORE

HIND

FORE

HIND

2"

23/4"

21/4"

23/4"

DEWCLAWSSHOW WHEN

RUNNING

For more information onTexas State Parks and

how you can get involved,visit us on the Web at:www.tpwd.state.tx.us

© 2006 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department PWD BK P4000-1181 (8/06)In accordance with Texas State Depository Law, this publication is available atthe Texas State Publications Clearinghouse and/or Texas Depository Libraries.

4200 Smith School RoadAustin,Texas 78744

(800) 792-1112