For the first time ever, researchers have found captive-bred Texas horned lizard hatchlings alive after winter hibernation.

It's a big win for the state reptile, which has vanished from Texas landscapes over the past several decades.

New technology has allowed Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials to track the tiny hatchlings more accurately than ever. In the past, hatchlings were nearly impossible to track after release, and all died within a few months.

Even in good conditions, Texas horned lizards have a high mortality rate. Previous efforts to release wild-caught and captive-bred adults have had limited success, and researchers have tried to release hundreds of hatchlings at a time in recent years.

When released, the lizards are hard to see in the dense Hill Country brush at Mason Mountain Wildlife Management Area, but long antennas glued to the back of each lizard allowed researchers to track some into late fall.

It's all part of a coordinated effort among Texas landowners, Parks and Wildlife, biologists at Texas Christian University and Texas zoos to bring the critter back from the brink.

Last year, The Dallas Morning News followed a group of lizards at the Fort Worth Zoo's breeding program from hibernation to release. The zoo had a goal of breeding 300 hatchlings for release; it ultimately sent 93 to Mason Mountain in September. The Dallas Zoo sent an additional 46 hatchlings.

Of the 93 that the Fort Worth Zoo released, 10 were equipped with tiny harmonic trackers. A month later, five were trackable. By early November, only one was alive and trackable. By Dec. 13, researchers found it buried under the ground in hibernation.

James Gallagher, a Parks and Wildlife biologist who serenaded the hatchlings with a rendition of "Born Free" when they were released, said he found three hatchlings alive and well last week after hibernation.

In December, Diane Barber, curator of ectotherms at the Fort Worth Zoo, said researchers are buying more harmonic tracking equipment to boost the program.

Right now, the zoo's lizards are also waking up from hibernation. Barber said the zoo still hopes to produce 300 hatchlings for release this summer.

Read more about the project to bring back the Texas horned lizard here.