But then, if you want to repel nuisances, I guess being disgusting is a good strategy.
- Log in to post comments
More like this
Last night I went back to my old campus to attend the Dr. Robert Rabb Lecture by Ken Miller. The Stewart Theater was packed. I saw a lof of old friends, but, as it was crowded, only got to spend some time talking to a couple of them.
Oh, there were bloggers there, too, of course. I first met up…
The elder Free-Ride offspring has lately gotten into playing "poison", a nim-type game for two players. You start with a pile of twelve items that are the same and one item that is different (the poison). Each turn, players can remove either one or two items from the pile. The object of the game…
I did not appreciate the sentiment that the New York Yankees had to win the World Series because Osama Bin Laden blew up the World Trade Center. I do not appreciate the sentiment that the New Orleans Saints have to win the Super Bowl because George Bush let poor New Orleans residents die in the…
Jay Hosler has a new book out, Optical Allusions(amzn/b&n/abe/pwll). If you're familiar with his other books, Clan Apis(amzn/b&n/abe/pwll) and The Sandwalk Adventures(amzn/b&n/abe/pwll), you know what to expect: a comic book that takes its science seriously. Hosler has a fabulous knack…
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.
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?
Even coyotes aren't too keen on liquids shooting into their eyes.
The irritation often lasts long enough for the lizard to disappear into a crevice.
Never heard of that.
The tears wash it out...?
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.