He says that studying lead levels requires studying the soil itself, and lizards are a great animal to use as a reference point. “The lizards live close to the ground, so they are breathing in dust with lead in it and eating insects that have lead on and in them,” explains Gunderson. Further experiments showed that the brown anoles required a lead intake around 10 times higher than their already intense levels to result in any noticeable deterioration. “Once I realized the blood lead levels other free-living wildlife tend to cope with are much lower, I was astounded by the anoles. I knew we had kind of stumbled upon something special.“It remains unclear exactly how or why the brown anoles of New Orleans treat lead like it’s no big deal, although researchers noted the lizards displayed multiple altered genes tied to metal ion regulation and oxygen transport.