Unlikely Allies: On the Balearic Islands of Spain, an interesting relationship has developed between a plant and an animal.

typhlonectes:

The players in this story are the dead horse arum (Helicodiceros muscivorus) and the unsuspecting

Lilford’s wall lizard

(Podarcis lilfordi).

Podarcis lilfordi is a lot like other fence lizards. They spend their days basking in the suns warmth and hunting for insect prey. They also have a tendency to feed on nectar and pollen, making them important pollinators of a handful of plant species around the island. 

For the dead horse arum, however, its not about pollination.

Like most members of its family, the dead horse arum relies on trickery for sex. As its common name suggests, the dead horse arum both looks and smells like rotting meat. Unsuspecting flies looking for a meal and a place to lay their eggs find the dead horse arum quite attractive in this regard. The plant even steps up its game a bit by producing its own heat. This helps volatilize its smell as well as to make it a cozy place worth investigating. Studies have found that during the peak flowering period, the bloom can be upwards of 24 °C (50 °F) warmer than its surroundings…

Unlikely Allies: On the Balearic Islands of Spain, an interesting relationship has developed between a plant and an animal.