Which lizard squirts blood from its eyes?

                    Lizards are mostly found in warm countries. They are reptiles with a dry scaly skin and a long tail. There are 3,000 kinds of lizards. But the focus of our discussion is the lizard that squirts blood from its eyes. It is called Horned Toad or Horned Lizard and is commonly found in Mexico and other parts of North America. A number of theories have been advanced to explain this strange phenomenon. Although this lizard squirts blood very rarely yet how does it do so and why? It has been observed that on such occasions the lizard is able to increase the blood pressure in its head, rupture the membranes of tiny blood vessels in its eyes and squirt drops of blood up to a distance of several inches. According to the biologists this action is a defence 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 Iguanidae family. There are about 14 species of this lizard. It is characterized by dagger-like head spines or horns. Its typical features include a flattened oval body and pointed fringe, and scales along the sides of the body. The length of the lizard ranges from 3 to 5 inches.

                    They usually live in desert or semi desert sandy areas. They feed on insects, mainly the ants. They conceal themselves by wriggling sideways until the entire body except the head, is covered. They are often kept as pets but seldom live long in captivity.