Lizard's Fate in Middle of Texas Oil Boom Remains in Limbo

A petition to list a little-known earless lizard that lives in Texas oil country as a federally protected species remains in limbo.

The San Antonio Express-News reported that an environmental group has asked U.S. Fish and Wildlife to list the spot-tailed earless lizard as an endangered or threatened species.

The rare lizard's likely habitat includes large swaths of the Eagle Ford Shale, the prolific oil and gas field in South Texas.

Much of the public's attention to potential endangered species in Texas has zeroed in on a bird -- the lesser prairie chicken.

Austin attorney Alan Glen says attention on the plight of the lizard has been "something of a sleeping issue."

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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