Daily Devotional – June 16

Biology

The Texas horned toad is found all over the western United States. It has a stubby nose, horns on its head, spikes all over its body and tail. It may look dangerous to us, but it is friendly. If you are a predator, the horned toad displays a full arsenal of defensive weapons. When frightened, the horned toad first flattens itself to the ground and freezes, not moving a muscle. If a predator continues to approach, it runs with short bursts and then stops quickly - repeating as necessary. If the predator is still pursuing, it will blow itself up to be twice its size. And then there is the final trick; the toad can shoot a stream of blood out of its eyeball up to five feet away! He can even aim this blood stream! He can do this 2-3 times. The blood tastes nasty, so any coyote, snake, or roadrunner that wants to mess with a Texas horned toad has to be ready!

Imagine if we were to burst an artery in our eye, it would take a long time for it to heal, and it would likely leave scar tissue. Not so with the horned toad. It can shoot blood again and again without permanent harm. What if it took millions of years to develop this ability? The horned toad would have probably been eaten. No other animal can squirt blood out of its eyes. We have an imaginative Creator who is concerned for even a small, cold-blooded lizard’s protection. We have a Creator that makes amazing creatures!

For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised:….

~ Psalm 96:4

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.