Leaping Lizards! Hair Dryer Reanimates Frozen Anole

Local girl proves those lizards in your yard aren't dead

By Todd Wright
|  Wednesday, Jan 13, 2010  |  Updated 8:53 AM EDT
View Comments (
)
|
Email
|
Print
Hair dryer + frozen reptile = hilarious science experiment

Hair dryer + frozen reptile = hilarious science experiment

advertisement
Photos and Videos
More Photos and Videos

Some of the greatest ideas are spawned during the coldest of times. Food preservation, hospital inoculations and cuddling can all be attributed to the inspiration of low temperatures.

And so it is with Erin Saley's lizard reanimation procedure. Saley, who lives in Pompano Beach, sent us the video below of her blow drying a lizard to life. 

Inspiration struck the 17-year-old high school student saw a paralyzed lizard fall out of a tree -- a phenomenon that been observed all over South Florida since the cold air blew in.

"I thought she was crazy when she did it," said Bob Saley, her father. "She just loves animals."

The lizards, especially iguanas, shut their bodies down once the temperatures reach the 40s. If they're in a tree when the cold air hits, they often don't stay there for long.

Many people have tossed the lizards in the trash, thinking they are dead.

Our budding young scientist uses a hair dryer to prove otherwise. In her video, Saley reanimates an anole -- a native lizard smaller than an iguana -- she found frozen like a statue outside her house.

As the warm air blows over the cold-blooded animal, the lizard comes back to slithering life right in her lap.

We expect this to shortly become the South Florida party trick of the winter season.

Posted Jan 11, 2010
Leave Comments
What's New
Get Our New iPad App
Now optimized for iPad, NBC Miami connects you to the top local stories, latest breaking news and real-time weather and traffic.
Follow Us
Sign up to receive news and updates that matter to you.
Send Us Your Story Tips
Check Out