But the most gruesome defense mechanism of any animal belongs to ... It’s easy to see how the horned lizard got this mistaken nickname — its scientific name, Phrynosoma, means “toad-bodied”.

The short-horned lizard is often referred to as a “horned ... some species employ one of the animal kingdom’s most bizarre defensive mechanisms: they shoot blood from their eyes.

Base color is tan, orange-brown, or reddish brown and typically matches the sand on which the lizard lives; the back is marked with rows of dark, circular blotches. HABITAT: The flat-tailed horned ...