(AP) -- In a muddy pile of sand where a pond once flowed in the
Texas Panhandle, dead fish, their flesh already decayed and
feasted on by maggots, lie with their mouths open. Nearby, deer
munch on the equivalent of vegetative junk food and wild turkeys
nibble on red harvester ants - certainly not their first choice
for lunch. As the state struggles with the worst one-year
drought in its history, entire ecosystems, from the smallest
insects to the largest predators, are struggling for survival.
The foundations of their habitats - rivers, springs, creeks,
streams and lakes - have turned into dry sand, wet mud,
trickling springs or, in the best case, large puddles. "It has a
compound effect on a multitude of species and organisms and
habitat types because of the way that it's chained and linked
together," said Jeff Bonner, a wildlife biologist with the Texas
Parks and Wildlife Department. Since January, Texas has only
gotten about 6 inches of rain, compared to a norm of about 13
inches, making it the most severe