Mary's Monday Metazoan: Seriously disgusting

But then, if you want to repel nuisances, I guess being disgusting is a good strategy.

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We took a box of these to the Scout Jamboree in 1957 and used them as trade items, telling the Yankee Scouts they were Baby dinosaurs. Now of course they are endangered.

By George Chadick (not verified) on 06 Jan 2014 #permalink

A couple of questions:
1) Why would a coyote be repelled by blood? Given its diet of small animals, most filled with lovely red blood, I would assume the coyote would find blood tasty and associate it with food.

Blood in the eye would be be problematic for the coyote, causing blurred vision, but wouldn't they be adapted to cope with a few drops of blood in the eye as long as it meant it got a meal.

2) I used to hang with boxers and the assumption was that blood caused blurred vision if it got into the eye. There was some mention that if enough blood got into the eye it might cause serious, possibly permanent, damage, something about blood getting to the nerves.

How does the lizard cope with blood in its eye. Wouldn't it interfere with vision? Could it cause damage?

Why would a coyote be repelled by blood?

Even coyotes aren't too keen on liquids shooting into their eyes.

Blood in the eye would be be problematic for the coyote, causing blurred vision, but wouldn’t they be adapted to cope with a few drops of blood in the eye as long as it meant it got a meal.

The irritation often lasts long enough for the lizard to disappear into a crevice.

There was some mention that if enough blood got into the eye it might cause serious, possibly permanent, damage, something about blood getting to the nerves.

Never heard of that.

How does the lizard cope with blood in its eye. Wouldn’t it interfere with vision? Could it cause damage?

The tears wash it out...?

By David Marjanović (not verified) on 09 Jan 2014 #permalink

Having caught one of theses lizards at the age of ten, in Tucson, AZ; I can definitely attest to the defense, if a rare one, as I caught many of them but was sprayed only once.

It did freak my mother out as the spray went across my throat like it had been cut. I did not notice any irritation issues on my skin from it.