New Head Lice Data - OldDude Institute for Head Lice Studies

So I get a parent request to check her daughter's hair for head lice; said she doesn't know what to look for but her daughter said her head was itching - and she has big, thick, hair. I was just getting ready to call it as clear and I spied a louse fleeing from the inspection area. I grabbed the trespasser and placed it on a legal pad I had on my desk; to observe for scientific purposes. At first the louse would scurry about but would stop at the edge of the legal pad so I was leaning toward stating louse had depth perception and would avoid vertical surfaces. But eventually the louse did climb over the edge and onto my desk. Which led to my new head lice data. I scooped the louse from my desk back onto the legal pad and noticed it had landed on it's back; it's little legs flailing in the air. This went on for 10 minutes until I flipped the louse over and it returned to scurrying about on the legal pad. I again flipped it back over onto its back and, again, legs flailing but no luck in turning itself over. So the new scientific data is head lice is in the ranks of the turtle. They cannot right themselves if on their back without assistance or if they are on a slick flat surface with nothing to grab onto. Mark your calendar, you heard it first right here on AN...OldDude Institute of Head Lice Studies.