Class pets aren’t very common in high school, but one teacher’s pet is even less common.

Physics teacher Kristan Kaufman has a female bearded dragon named B.D. who participates with students in her classes.

“Her movements simulate wave patterns that we study in physics,” Kaufman said. “She also livens up the class, which makes it more fun and interesting.”

B.D. is a 3 or 4 year old bearded dragon also known as a Pogona, a species of lizard that resides in the Australian outback. B.D. previously belonged to another physics teacher from Del Valle who gave her to Kaufman.

“She seemed pretty fine, she was use to me,” Kaufman said. “She was already in my class room for a year.”

Bearded dragons have a spiked neck used as a defense mechanism that expands to make them look threatening to would be predators. This, however, is useless to B.D. as she spends most of her days lounging.

“She’ll run around the house for a little bit and find a dark spot where she’ll crawl up and go to sleep,” Kaufman said. “She actually enjoys watching kids work, it’s her entertainment.”

Bearded dragons have a strange way of eating. They’ll normally eat the most as they can at once then won’t eat for a few days, this is called gut-loading. B.D.’s favorite food is beetle larvae called superworm’s.

“I feed her superworm’s that are alive,” Kaufman said. “And I give her vitamins since she’s supposed to eat vegetables.”

B.D. not only has the student’s attention, but also of other teachers.

“The other teachers like her,” Ms. Kaufman said. “Ms. Chance took a picture with her.”

B.D. helps create a unique learning environment.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” junior Ryan Ahrens said. “Just something different in the class room.”