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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

Destructive fires serve as pest control for lizards

Mediterranean lizards in burnt areas are less likely to be afflicted by mites than their neighbours in unburnt woodlands.
Lizard, Psammodromus algirus, resting on a rock

A Psammodromus algirus lizard in Spain, where wildfires can confer long-lasting relief from parasites. Credit: Philippe Clement/Nature Picture Library

Occasional wildfires can help lizards to keep a clean house: the blazes cleanse natural areas of mites that can infest the reptiles’ skin.

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Nature 595, 475 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01913-z

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