Snakes and horned lizards frequently ambush their victims.
Buffalo and rhinos both have horns. But what about reptiles? There are spiky features on the skulls of several lizard and snake species. Whether those horns assist or hinder them might depend on how they manage to capture supper.
The majority of snakes and horned lizards do not hunt animals for sustenance. Rather, they wait to ambush their victim. Animals with horns can better fit in with their surroundings while they are still. However, they could draw attention to more active reptiles. Scientists now think that any ostentatious headgear might expose their existence to both predators and prey.
There are some reptiles that have developed horns on their snouts, eyebrows, or skulls. Previous research revealed that the animals could employ these decorations for defense, courting or occasionally to avoid being seen. Federico Banfi said “But what about when the animals are looking for prey?”. He works as a herpetologist at the Belgian University of Antwerp.
Banfi was a member of a team that made the decision to investigate if horns’ benefits for camouflage (KAM-oh-flaaj) benefited reptiles that moved around a lot during hunting. They reasoned that if not the likelihood of the extant species generating such spiky spikes may be reduced.
The group compiled published data to categorize snakes and lizards as either aggressive chasers or predators that wait and observe. Information on 1,939 distinct species was discovered. 175 of them had horns on their heads, brows or snouts. Either keratin or bone made up their horns .
