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

[improbabilityx]

[improbabilityx]

[pygmybugs]

I seem to remember reading that a lot of animals that subsist on ants taste repugnant. Ants themselves are generally distasteful, maybe the lizard stores up nasty flavors from the ants.

[sarmonster]

Ants carry a lot of formic acid. They taste like a cross between burnt plastic and grapefruit. Bleh.

(what did YOU learn in Survival camp today, Sar?)

[growing_rose]

I heard something about bacteria helping with the squirting process years ago. I wonder if that's connected?

[undeniablynikki]

You never know where those lizards have been. They might have AIDS.