Autohemorrhaging means an animal breaks blood vessels and releases blood at will. Often it is associated with stressful situations It has also been called reflexive bleeding. It is perhaps best known in horned lizards of the genus Phryanosoma. In horned lizards it is triggered by encounters with canid predators. Rödel et al. (2023) reports autohemorrhaging in two snake species Leptodeira ornata and Trachyboa boulengeri. The adaptive value of this behavior, if it is adaptive behavior is unclear, and the authors suggest that this could be simply an impressive stress reaction.
Citation
Rödel M-O, Loaiza-Lange A, Penner J, Neira-Salamea KD, Salazar-Valenzuela D (2023) A mouth full of blood – autohaemorrhaging in three Ecuadorian snakes (Squamata: Colubridae & Tropidophiidae). Herpetology Notes 16: 25-30.





