Horned Lizard of Death Valley
Sample Article:
Death Valley, surprisingly, is home to many species of animals. The conditions in this part of the desert are very harsh with temperatures during the summer reaching up to 134 degrees F (56.7 degrees C) during the day. That seems too hot for anyone. Who can live there? Once such being that thrives in Death Valley is the horned lizard. The horned lizard has very special abilities that help it survive in the desert.
The horned lizard has a unique defense mechanism allowing it to chase away an enormous(compared to a lizard), sharped-tooth, vicious predator, such as a coyote, interested in eating a tasty horned lizard for lunch. Though this tough lizard is called a "horned" lizard, it possesses more defensive tools than just horns. It squirts blood. It squirts blood from its eyeball.
A horned lizard can control where its blood flows in its body during emergencies. During such times, blood flow is restricted to the horned lizard's head, which builds up pressure in the eye. If this ability isn't special enough, the lizard has control over the channeled blood and can aim it at the offensive predator. The lizard has the ability to squirt the blood from its eye up to five feet away. The blood carries a horrendous taste to canine and feline predators, which drives away the predators after being squirted with bloody eye seepage.
Horned lizards are tough not only because they live in the harsh conditions of Death Valley, but also because they know how to fight for their lives. The horned lizard may be small compared to a coyote, but it sure knows how to convince a coyote that eating it for lunch is not a good idea.
Sample Outline:
Main Idea: Horned lizards can shoot blood out of their eyes as a defense mechanism.
Death Valley, surprisingly, is home to many species of animals. The conditions in this part of the desert are very harsh with temperatures during the summer reaching up to 134 degrees F (56.7 degrees C) during the day. That seems too hot for anyone. Who can live there? Once such being that thrives in Death Valley is the horned lizard. The horned lizard has very special abilities that help it survive in the desert.
The horned lizard has a unique defense mechanism allowing it to chase away an enormous(compared to a lizard), sharped-tooth, vicious predator, such as a coyote, interested in eating a tasty horned lizard for lunch. Though this tough lizard is called a "horned" lizard, it possesses more defensive tools than just horns. It squirts blood. It squirts blood from its eyeball.
A horned lizard can control where its blood flows in its body during emergencies. During such times, blood flow is restricted to the horned lizard's head, which builds up pressure in the eye. If this ability isn't special enough, the lizard has control over the channeled blood and can aim it at the offensive predator. The lizard has the ability to squirt the blood from its eye up to five feet away. The blood carries a horrendous taste to canine and feline predators, which drives away the predators after being squirted with bloody eye seepage.
Horned lizards are tough not only because they live in the harsh conditions of Death Valley, but also because they know how to fight for their lives. The horned lizard may be small compared to a coyote, but it sure knows how to convince a coyote that eating it for lunch is not a good idea.
Sample Outline:
Main Idea: Horned lizards can shoot blood out of their eyes as a defense mechanism.
- Detail 1: Horned lizard restricts blood flow to the head and directs it toward the eye
- Detail 2: Horned lizard can aim the blood at its predator
- Detail 3: Horned lizard can shoot the blood up to five feet away
- Detail 4: Blood tastes bad to canine and feline predators, which stops them from eating the lizard