Talk about community service!

The Western Fence lizard, also known as blue belly, is a common sight in southwestern Oregon. In addition to eating spiders, beetles, mosquitoes, and various types of grasshoppers, these creatures have an incredible secret. When bitten by a tick carrying the bacteria that causes Lyme disease, this lizard's body is able to resist the disease and kill the bacteria without getting sick. Even more amazing is that after an encounter between a tick and a blue belly, not only is the lizard free of the bacteria, so is the tick. Studies have shown Lyme disease is lower in areas where blue bellies occur.