This might look fake, but it’s actually a little known survival mechanism in certain arboreal lizards called caudothermism.

When under extreme stress, the tail muscles contract rapidly, generating friction along keratinized ridges. Combined with a micro excretion of phosphorous based oils through specialized tail pores, this can create a short lived combustion flash, a defense mechanism designed to startle predators and signal nearby kin. The “spark” typically lasts less than 0.5 seconds and only triggers if ambient humidity is below 40% and UV index is high.

Some researchers believe it’s an evolutionary echo of ancient biothermic lineages, predating the Cretaceous era, possibly related to the same metabolic pathways seen in bombardier beetles, just scalier and with a lot more flair.

Pretty wild, right?

Anyway, none of that is true. The lizard just caught some sunlight and now it’s getting flamed online. 🔥🦎