Creepy Defense Mechanism

[cyaneus]

The horny toad, also known as the horned lizard, is a rotund little reptile found in the United States. It has several strategies to help it avoid getting eaten, such as its excellent camouflage and its tough, spiny scales. When those fail, though, it has one last trick to deter predators:

It squirts blood from its eyes.The horny toad

Comments

[growing_rose]

OH OH OH! ANNNNNDDDDD they drink water via their skin. :P Their skin has tiny cracks in it that force the water up to their mouth, like tiny capillaries.

[sarmonster]

You're thinking of the thorny devil(Moloch Horridus), an Australian lizard and distant relative to the horny toad, which can lie in the water and channel it to their mouth via a capillary action.
http://www.outback-australia-travel-secrets.com/thorny-devil.html

Horned lizards (Phrynosoma) collect rain from their backs via gravity, but don't have the capillary channels that allow ground-up collection like the thorny devils do.

"When it rains, a horned lizard will elevate its tail over its head, creating an inclined surface. When rain hits their backs, dorsal scales channel water down the incline toward their heads. They open and close their mouth, seeming to pump the water down to their mouths."
From http://www.digimorph.org/resources/horned.phtml

/wildlife Geek
I think they are both unbelievably fookin adorable.

[growing_rose]

Ah, indeed a mistake I made. :3 At least I had it right that they guide water down their body to their mouths. :P

[dewdropper]

OMG I used to catch these all the time when I was a little kid. I wonder why they never squirted me with blood when I caught them. Or tried to "mark" them with a sharpie so I can try to keep track of their population. Which killed them.
I was a stupid little scientist. ;______;

[improbabilityx]

[improbabilityx]

[alleykitten]

Dude... I always thought horned toads were rather common/ordinary. I never thought those ugly fuckers could kick so much ass!

[gemfyre]

It takes a lot to gross me out. But this little lizard almost does it.