In Central America and in the south-west of this continent, as well as in some parts of Mexico, a mysterious, unusual and incredibly smart beauty is called a horned lizard. So they called the iguana for good reason: on its body there are a huge number of sharp thorns, and on the head there is a pointed crown of them.
This is a reptile that is different from its counterparts at times. It also feeds on ants, has the ability to regenerate, and has the unique ability to become part of the landscape. But there are some features thanks to which the horned lizard was able to reach a new level of development and evolution. But first things first.
The mystery of the name
It was mentioned above that due to the extensive location of the thorns on the body and head of the reptile, it received the nickname horned, however, in scientific materials such an iguana is called frog-shaped (from the Latin word Phrynosoma). That's because her body is flat and round, and her legs are short. She is very reminiscent of a toad. Phrynos translates toad, and soma means body. The color of the horned lizard is as close as possible to the colors of the environment in which it lives. Most often it is the color of the earth or sand, well, or both colors are mixed.
But this is not all the secrets that the horned lizard hides. The name bloody is also quite suitable for her. That's because she has one unique ability to scare off her opponents with her own blood. And she shoots her out of her eyes. Such a phenomenal ability can easily scare off ground opponents of the horned lizard, but the birds are not at all afraid of this method of intimidation.
Strategic Abilities Endowed Reptile
If we talk about lizards, considering them as a whole, they have some similar features regarding defense against attack. For example, they know how to hide perfectly, thanks to the color, and perfectly freeze, becoming part of the environment. The horned lizard, like its other brethren, performs all these simple manipulations. However, she is also endowed with other abilities that distinguish her from other types of iguanas, making her a strategist capable of constructive thinking.
So, the strategic abilities of the horned lizard:
- In addition to the fact that it freezes at the sight of danger, the lizard carefully watches the opponent. If he declassifies it and continues to go on the offensive, the reptile begins to move around the area in small dashes, periodically stopping and again falling into a stupor. Such behavior can easily confuse the adversary, and he will retreat with nothing.
- If all the above manipulations did not help, and the danger still threatens the life of the iguana, the toad lizard is able to snuggle up to the ground, as if flattening its coin-like body. This method helps the reptile to survive, because the enemy can not pick it from the ground.
- The most recent defense is to spit blood at an opponent. All ground opponents of the iguana immediately capitulate. The lizard uses this maneuver extremely rarely, and not all individuals of this species are capable of it.
