Creepy Australian trees 'bleed' when cut open

On the outside, Corymbia opaca and Corymbia calophylla may look like completely normal trees — but slice one open, and you'll quickly discover an eerie secret.

Native to Australia, the trees, which are commonly referred to as red gum or bloodwood trees (for obvious reasons), exhibit a shockingly human characteristic: they "bleed" when they're cut into, or even shed bark.

Photos of the phenomenon:

Of course, the "blood" seeping out of a damaged Corymbia opaca or Corymbia calophylla isn't anything like yours or mine — the thick, red goo is actually a gum called "kino," which just happens to bear a shocking resemblance to human blood.

Australian Aboriginals are known to collect the material, which gets its red color from an exorbitant amount of tannins, and use it as medicine to treat colds and other ailments.

While totally harmless, the sap is definitely the stuff of nightmares for unsavvy outback explorers.