1. Houston Museum of Natural Science ExxonMobil Teacher Tuesdays
Ecoregions of Texas
Houston Museum of Natural Science
ExxonMobil Teacher Tuesdays

2. What is an ecoregion?
A relatively large unit of land or water that is characterized by a distinctive climate, ecological features and plant and animal communities (Source: National Geographic’s Strange Days on Planet Earth

3. Regions of Texas 1 – High and Rolling Plains
2 – Oak Woods and Prairies and Blackland Prairies
3 – Pineywoods
4 – Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes and Coastal Sand Plains
5 - South Texas Brush Country
6 –Edward’s Plateau and Llano Uplift
7 – Trans Pecos

4. High and Rolling Plains
Mostly flat and grassy
Mostly treeless
On a high, flat plateau
The eastern portion is not as flat and is brushy
Western and Eastern portions is divided by deep canyons carved by rivers
Average regional rainfall inches a year

5. Wildlife Roadrunner Swift fox Badger Great horned owl Burrowing owl
Pronghorn Antelope
Plains hognose snake
Prairie dog
Western diamondback rattlesnake
Swainson’s hawk
Black footed ferret *
Pal Duro mouse *
Texas kangaroo rat *
Concho water snake *

6. Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
The western diamondback rattlesnake is the most widespread venomous snake in the state of Texas
Although its' venom is quite potent few deaths are reported
Because of their value as rodent destroyers, rattlesnakes should not be killed

7. Black Footed Ferret Ferrets rely on prairie dogs for food and shelter.
Predators such as owls, eagles, hawks, Coyotes, badgers, foxes, and Bobcats are the main cause of death for wild ferrets.
Black-footed Ferrets are endangered because much of the shortgrass prairie habitat on which the ferrets depend has been plowed for crops

8. Concho Water Snake
The Concho water snake is a small snake that grows up to 3 feet in length. It has large dark reddish brown bands covering its body.
Habitat loss has been the reason for the snake's decline
The snakes have colonized artificial riffles that have been built to offset loss of natural habitat.

9. Swift Fox
The Swift Fox is about the size of a house cat and is the smallest of the American foxes
Swift Foxes are not very suspicious of humans, so that they are easily trapped or poisoned
Swift Foxes typically live in the open desert or grasslands

10. Oak Woods & Prairies and Blackland Prairies
Transition between plains of the West Texas Panhandle and the Pineywoods of East Texas
Patches of woodland running in a north/south direction sprinkled throughout a grassland prairie
Gently rolling to hilly
Rich, fertile and black soil
Average regional rainfall – inches per year

11. Wildlife Plains pocket gopher Raccoon Hispid cotton rat
Green winged teal
Red shouldered hawk
White-tailed deer
Texas horned lizard
Ornate box turtle
Brazilian free-tailed bat
Nine banded armadillo
Houston toad *
Texas kangaroo rat *

12. Green Winged Teal - Drake
migrate through Northcentral Texas
Ducks feed in shallow water on aquatic vegetation, seeds and crustaceans in ponds and lakes
Popular bird for duck hunters

13. Red shouldered hawk
Red-shouldered hawks are medium-sized raptors with sharp eyes, broad strong wings and long legs
Effective hunters, helping to maintain a balance of predators and prey in woodland and grassland areas
Red-shouldered hawks prefer moist woodlands, such a bottomland hardwood forests or deciduous or mixed forests bordering lakes, streams or other wetlands.
habitat loss remains the biggest threat to red-shouldered hawks

14. Texas horned lizard AKA - Horny Toad
They can be found in arid and semiarid habitats in open areas with sparse plant cover
Texas horned lizards range from the south-central United States to northern Mexico, throughout much of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico
The Texas horned lizard currently is listed as a threatened species in Texas (federal category C2).

15. Houston toad Endangered, Listed 10/13/1970
The Houston toad lives primarily on land. The toads burrow into the sand for protection from cold weather in the winter (hibernation) and hot, dry conditions in the summer (aestivation).
Land owners are being taught “toad friendly” practices

16. Pineywoods Primarily thick pine forest
Larger forest extents into Louisiana, Arkansas, and Oklahoma
Rolling terrain with wet bottomlands
Swamps are common especially in the “Big Thicket”
Average regional rainfall inches per year

17. Wildlife Southern short-tailed shrew Rafinesque’s big-eared bat
Common gray fox
Bobcat
Eastern flying squirrel
Eastern cottontail
Bull frog
River otter
Red-cockaded woodpecker *
Bald Eagle (breeding) *

18. Common gray fox
Gray foxes range throughout Texas, overlapping their more familiar red cousins in the eastern and central parts of the state and into the panhandle
Unlike any of its relatives they gray fox can climb trees
With its legendary cleverness and adaptability, the gray fox is a highly successful species

19. Eastern flying squirrel
common in the eastern part of the state, it is nocturnal (active at night) and seldom seen during the day
the flying squirrel is quite timid and, if cornered, may become paralyzed with fear and die of shock
it cannot fly; however, it does glide
it may cover as much as 150 feet during a single glide
Adult weigh about 3 ounces

20. Bobcat The Bobcat is a medium-sized, reddish brown or grayish cat
Their diet consists mainly of small mammals and birds
Bobcats live in a variety of habitats, but they favor rocky canyons or outcrops when they are available
Not threatened

21. Bald Eagle Listed as threatened in Texas
They feed primarily on fish, but also eat a variety of waterfowl and other birds, small mammals, and turtles
In Texas, Bald Eagles nest from October to July
Nests are often very large, measuring up to 6 feet in width and weighing hundreds of pounds
Breeding populations occur primarily in the eastern half of the state and along coastal counties from Rockport to Houston
Non-breeding or wintering populations are located primarily in the Panhandle, Central, and East Texas,

22. Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes and Coastal Sand Plains
Barrier islands
Estuaries (salt and fresh water meet)
Bays
Prairies and grasslands as you travel west
Houston is a part of this ecoreigon
Average regional rainfall inches per year

23. Wildlife Muskrat River otter Alligator Bull frog Terns Coyote Mink
Bottlenose dolphin
Gulls
Attwater’s prairie chicken *
Eastern brown pelican *
Whooping crane *
Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle *

24. Muskrat A large, brownish, aquatic, scaly-tailed rodent
Occurs only in suitable aquatic habitats in northern, southeastern, and southwestern parts of the state
principally marsh inhabitants; creeks, rivers, lakes, drainage ditches, and canals
Muskrats were, at one time, the most economically important furbearing mammal in eastern Texas

25. Alligator
Alligators are not an endangered species. They were taken off the endangered species list in 1978
They are protected
In Texas, the alligator ranges from the Sabine River of East Texas
to the Gulf of Mexico and across the coastal marshes to the Rio
Grande
With the human population in Texas continuing to expand, increased contact between people and alligators can be expected
No human fatality attributed to alligators has been recorded in Texas

26. Coyote The Coyote is very similar in size to a small German Shepherd
Coyotes will eat just about anything
The adaptability of the Coyote and its acute sense of survival make it difficult to identify preferred habitat, although they most typically are associated with open plains in the West and brushy areas in the East
They have slowly filled the void left by the declining population of wolves

27. Attwater’s prairie chicken
AKA - Greater Prairie Chicken
Endangered
Attwater's prairie chickens are found only on the coastal prairies of Texas.
Prairie chickens are endangered because the tallgrass prairie has been plowed for farmland and covered by cities
Habitat has also been lost because of heavy grazing by cattle
By 1996, only 42 of these rare birds were left.

28. Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle

29. South Texas Brush Country
Runs from edges of the Hill Country into the subtropical regions of the Lower Rio Grande Valley
Mostly dry and covered with grasses and thorny brush such as mesquite and prickly pear cacti
Average regional rainfall inches per year

30. Wildlife Ferruginous pygmy owl Elf owl Indigo snake
Mexican burrowing toad
Texas tortoise
Ocelot *

31. Ferruginous pygmy owl
essentially a Mexican species that barely enters the U.S. in far south Texas and sometimes in Arizona
This species is much sought after by U.S. birders
In Texas it is now mostly confined to remaining patches of mesquite, ebony, and cane along the lower Rio Grande
Endangered in Arizona and rare in Texas. It is still quite common in Mexico

32. Texas tortoise
They feed heavily on the fruit of the common prickly pear and on other mostly succulent plants available to them
A low reproductive rate, historic heavy exploitation by pet suppliers, and other factors have led to a severe population decline of the species
It is a protected nongame (threatened) species

33. Indigo snake North Americas largest non-venomous snake
These snakes can grow up to 9 feet and eat the toughest rattlesnakes for breakfast
It is found in scattered locations across South Texas and in a few locations in the Texas hill country and even few places in south west Texas.

34. Edward’s Plateau and Llano Uplift
High flat land (plateau) eroded into hilly terrain
Many springs and steep canyons
Underground lakes in the Edward’s Aquifer area
Caves
Average regional rainfall inches per year

35. Wildlife Rio Grande turkey Javelina Tarantula Grebes
Brazilian free-tail bat
Salamander
Gulf Coast toads
Blue heron
Golden-cheeked warbler *

36. Rio Grande turkey
Rio Grande turkey are distributed throughout the central portion of Texas from the northern high plains to the southern gulf coastal prairies
Popular game bird for hunters
Doing well thanks to hunters

37. Brazilian free-tailed bats
widely regarded as one of the most abundant mammals in North America
However, its proclivity towards roosting in large numbers in relatively few roosts makes it especially vulnerable to human disturbance and habitat destruction
This bat is a known carrier of rabies. Although the proportion of rabies cases caused by Brazilian Free-tailed Bats is minuscule when compared to the size of their population as a whole, caution should be exercised when one of these bats is encountered, or any species of bat for that matter

38. Golden-cheeked warbler
Endangered
Golden-cheeked warblers nest only in central Texas mixed Ashe-juniper and oak woodlands in ravines and canyons
They come to Texas in March to nest and raise their young
In Texas, golden-cheeked warblers are found in the Edwards Plateau and locally north to Palo Pinto County
Golden-cheeked warblers are endangered because many tall juniper and oak woodlands have been cleared to build houses, roads, and stores. Some habitat was cleared to grow crops or grass for livestock. Other habitat areas were flooded when large lakes were built.

39. Trans Pecos Region of extremes Home of Big Bend
Hot dry desert that is cool at night
Mountains – occasionally snows in winter
Forests grow on slopes
Rio Grande River runs through forming a border between Texas and Mexico
Average regional rainfall 8-20 inches per year

40. Wildlife Pronghorn antelope Hooded skunk Cactus mouse
Western diamondback rattlesnake
Desert bighorn sheep
Mountain lion
Collared lizard
Black bear *
Mexican spotted owl *

41. Pronghorn antelope
Pronghorns live primarily in grasslands but also in brushland and deserts. In Texas the antelope live primarily in the North and West Texas areas. They eat cacti, grasses, forbs, and browse plants.
Its speed is surpassed only by that of the cheetah

42. Mountain lion
The Mountain Lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail
Are also called cougars
Mountain Lions are relatively uncommon, secretive animals
In Texas, the Mountain Lion is found throughout the Trans-Pecos, as well as the brushlands of south Texas and portions of the Hill Country

43. Cactus mouse
Trans-Pecos Texas, mainly in lowland desert areas, westward along the Rio Grande to Webb County
Restricted almost entirely to a desert habitat, especially where rocky outcrops or cliffs offer retreats and den sites
In captivity, they relish water but in the wild they probably supply this need by feeding on succulent vegetation since they occur in areas that are waterless except for infrequent rains

44. Desert bighorn sheep
Texas has seven herds of free-ranging desert bighorn sheep, the result of restocking efforts begun in 1954 and continuing to the present time
2008 Observed Population: 1,193 Sheep