{"id":2188824,"date":"2025-10-20T06:00:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T04:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2188824"},"modified":"2025-10-18T09:02:58","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T07:02:58","slug":"it-squirts-toxic-blood-from-its-eyes-has-armoured-spiky-skin-and-can-self-inflate-to-twice-its-size-is-this-one-of-the-weirdest-animals-on-the-planet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/it-squirts-toxic-blood-from-its-eyes-has-armoured-spiky-skin-and-can-self-inflate-to-twice-its-size-is-this-one-of-the-weirdest-animals-on-the-planet\/","title":{"rendered":"It squirts toxic blood from its eyes, has armoured spiky skin and can self-inflate to twice its size. Is this one of the weirdest animals on the planet?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You might think the world’s most powerful lizard is the Komodo dragon \u2013 the largest and heaviest lizard in the world, with a venomous bite to boot.<\/p>\n

But power isn\u2019t always about size – and the world’s weirdest lizard has special powers that allows it to wield superiority over potential predators.<\/p>\n

Meet the North American horned lizard, the world’s weirdest lizard<\/h2>\n

North American horned lizards – also known as horny toads – are just 9cm in length, yet are equipped with an impressive arsenal of novel, powerful defences.<\/p>\n

They boast excellent camouflage; have armoured, spiky skin; and can inflate their bodies to double their size.<\/p>\n

But their real super-power is their ability to shoot blood \u2013 loaded with foul toxins gleaned from a diet of venomous ants \u2013 from their eyes, to a distance of up to nine times their body length.<\/p>\n

So precise is their aim that these little lizards can see off wolves and coyotes many times their size, blasting the predators square in the face.<\/p>\n