I remember when i was knee high to a grasshopper myself, late 80s. The horned lizards in the umtanum running around, the young of the year babies lookin like little spiky nickels. Had a fascination with reptiles my whole life. Some species of them do squirt blood out of their tear ducts as a defense mechanism, but not the ones here.
LOL. Sounds like we had a lot in common; I'll be 89 in August, but horned toads are the closest thing to a reptile that I care(d) anything about fooling with.

I do remember those pint sized horned toads and your comment reminded me about the "blood squirters", just never experienced one personally. I wonder if there is a different species, or if they all have the ability only under certain circumstances????
Copperheads are pretty snakes. Don't have them in my neck of the woods, and only had an up close and personal interaction with one @ Ft Hood, Tx. I sat down and leaned up against an old tree stump and discovered one coiled up in a hole between the roots
after I got up. He wasn't the least bit aggressive, fortunately. I have heard they can be, however. Lots of experience w/diamondbacks, however. Most of them are not aggressive, either, but I have had two that I can recall that were. I'm sure I don't need to warn you, but be careful flippin' logs, etc.

To each his own, but my definition of a good rattler

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