The Center for Biological Diversity has sued the Fish and Wildlife Service for protections for a Texas lizard.
The agency back in 2011 said the Tamaulipan spot-tailed earless lizard may deserve protections under the Endangered Species Act. But despite a requirement to make a decision after one year, there’s been no movement since then, the conservation group alleges.
The lizard is found in a handful of separated populations in the grasslands of South Texas and parts of Mexico. Historically, it could be found as far north as Oklahoma.
It faces threats from human-caused habitat destruction and degradation from agriculture and other development, according to the center. Climate change models also indicate suitable habitat will disappear within the species’ current range.
