Lizards specialize in spraying poisonous blood from their eyes

Large short-horned lizard (Phrynosoma hernandesi) lives in North America and Central America and specializes in eating ants, spiders and other small insects. They have a flat, stubby body and a short nose, looking more like an amphibian than a reptile, hence the nickname “horned toad”. But this lizard is most famous for its unusual defense mechanism. When threatened, they spray blood from their eyes from a distance of up to 1.5 meters, according to Live Science.

Large short-horned lizards do this by limiting the amount of blood drained from the head, increasing blood pressure, causing tiny blood vessels to shoot out around the eyes. They spray blood at predators to confuse their enemies so they can escape. About eight species of spiny lizards use a trick called reflex bleeding. Large short-horned lizards about 15 cm long can release 1/3 of their total blood volume in this way.

Although it cannot deter birds, lizard blood affects canids such as dogs (A family dog), coyotes (A barking dog) and fox (Foxes), forcing them to shake their heads vigorously to let blood splash into them. The lizards seem to recognize that behavior and are more likely to use a unique defense mechanism with dogs instead of other predators.

Their blood is filled with toxins that may come from harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex) poison that they eat. The taste of lizard blood is not very pleasant to predators. Short-horned lizards are not affected by harvester ant venom because a chemical in their serum neutralizes it. Lizards also secrete large amounts of mucus to immobilize ants, so they can swallow them without being affected by the venom.

But spitting blood is not the short-horned lizard’s only defense mechanism. They have striped skin and flat bodies that help them camouflage easily. Their bodies are covered with sharp spikes, including two large horns on their heads. If a predator tries to bite them, the lizard will bow its head, pointing its horn at the enemy’s mouth. They can also swell to twice their normal size when attacked, suffocating predators who try to swallow them.