8th-Grade Student Uses 3D Printer To Replace Lizard's Lost Tail

NEW PORT RICHEY, FL -- What happens if your pet bearded dragon accidentally loses its tail?

Well, if you're Corbin Jordan, an eighth-grader at Chasco Middle School in Port Richey, you use the school's new 3D printer to make a new one.

That was Jordan's all-consuming mission after learning that the pet bearded dragon belonging to Pasco Middle School Principal Brandon Bracciale lost the end of its tail.

"Without a tail, it does cause problems," said Bracciale. "Bearded dragons are naturally really good swimmers so he has a hard time swimming without a full tail."

Jordan designed a new tail for the lizard that not only connected to the pet's existing stub but had the flexibility to move like a real tail.

After the school received it's 3D printer, students used it to make items like fidget spinners. But Bracciale never dreamed a student would find a way to make a prosthetic lizard tail.

"...The fact that one of our middle school students is going to use it to design a prosthetic tail for a bearded dragon is really cool," said Bracciale. "It kind of blows your mind."

Jordan explains the process he used to recreate the lizard tail in a Youtube video.

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