Sounds like a story fro horror fiction, but there are certain kinds of lizards that can actually squirt blood from their eyes! Lizards are mostly found in tropical countries. They are reptiles with a dry scaly skin and along tail. There are 3,000 kinds of lizards in the world.
The Horned Lizard
But the lizard that squirts blood from its eyes is a lizard called the horned toad or horned lizard, and it is mostly found in Mexico and certain hot, dry part so north America. A number of theories have been put to explain this strange phenomenon. Although this lizard squirts blood very rarely, how does it manage to do so, and why does it do so?
It has been observed that at times, the lizard is able to increase the blood pressure in its head, rupture the membranes of tiny blood vessels in its eyes and squirts blood up to a distance of several inches. According to the biologists, this action is a defense mechanism. When squirted into the eyes of an attacker, its blood acts as an irritant, and diverts the attention of the attacker.
The Horned Lizard belongs to lguanidae family. There are about 14 species of this lizard. Dagger-like head spines or horns characterize it. Its typical features include a flattened oval body and pointed fringe, and scales along the sides of the body. The length of this small lizard ranges from 3 to 5 inches.
These lizards usually live in deserts or semi-desert sandy areas. They feed on insects, mainly ants. These lizards can conceal themselves by wriggling sideways into the sand, until the entire body except the head is covered. Some people have tried to keep them as pets but they generally do not live long in captivity.
