A Complex Mutualism Between Lizard and Lily

Male Balearic lizard basking on a dead horse arum spathe. Source: Ana Pérez-Cembranos, used with permission.

On the Balearic Islands of Spain, in the Mediterranean Sea, a complex relationship has evolved between a lizard and a lily. The dead horse arum is a lily that mimics rotting flesh visually, chemically, and thermally to attract fly pollinators. Balearic lizards come calling, too — and it seems to benefit both lizard and plant.

Read the whole story at my Animal Minds blog: The Lizard and the Rotting Meat Lily.