diff --git a/src/ng/animate.js b/src/ng/animate.js
index e105de1ab28f..f71c2de4f6d4 100644
--- a/src/ng/animate.js
+++ b/src/ng/animate.js
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 var $animateMinErr = minErr('$animate');
 var ELEMENT_NODE = 1;
+var TEXT_NODE = 3;
 
 function mergeClasses(a,b) {
   if (!a && !b) return '';
@@ -12,10 +13,10 @@ function mergeClasses(a,b) {
   return a + ' ' + b;
 }
 
-function extractElementNode(element) {
+function extractNonCommentNode(element) {
   for (var i = 0; i < element.length; i++) {
     var elm = element[i];
-    if (elm.nodeType === ELEMENT_NODE) {
+    if (elm.nodeType === ELEMENT_NODE || elm.nodeType === TEXT_NODE) {
       return elm;
     }
   }
@@ -241,7 +242,7 @@ var $AnimateProvider = ['$provide', function($provide) {
       // from the dom sometime before this code runs then let's
       // just stick to using the parent element as the anchor
       if (afterElement) {
-        var afterNode = extractElementNode(afterElement);
+        var afterNode = extractNonCommentNode(afterElement);
         if (afterNode && !afterNode.parentNode && !afterNode.previousElementSibling) {
           afterElement = null;
         }
diff --git a/src/ngAnimate/.jshintrc b/src/ngAnimate/.jshintrc
index ff0fac6abb0b..2e63cae6f73d 100644
--- a/src/ngAnimate/.jshintrc
+++ b/src/ngAnimate/.jshintrc
@@ -36,6 +36,6 @@
     "packageStyles": false,
     "removeFromArray": false,
     "stripCommentsFromElement": false,
-    "extractElementNode": false
+    "extractNonCommentNode": false
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/ngAnimate/animateQueue.js b/src/ngAnimate/animateQueue.js
index 00dd4e3e62db..08aba08c7ca8 100644
--- a/src/ngAnimate/animateQueue.js
+++ b/src/ngAnimate/animateQueue.js
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ var $$AnimateQueueProvider = ['$animateProvider', function($animateProvider) {
 
     return {
       on: function(event, container, callback) {
-        var node = extractElementNode(container);
+        var node = extractNonCommentNode(container);
         callbackRegistry[event] = callbackRegistry[event] || [];
         callbackRegistry[event].push({
           node: node,
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ var $$AnimateQueueProvider = ['$animateProvider', function($animateProvider) {
             : filterFromRegistry(entries, container, callback);
 
         function filterFromRegistry(list, matchContainer, matchCallback) {
-          var containerNode = extractElementNode(matchContainer);
+          var containerNode = extractNonCommentNode(matchContainer);
           return list.filter(function(entry) {
             var isMatch = entry.node === containerNode &&
                             (!matchCallback || entry.callback === matchCallback);
diff --git a/src/ngAnimate/shared.js b/src/ngAnimate/shared.js
index bfa5a80c5916..14e55b7a6c38 100644
--- a/src/ngAnimate/shared.js
+++ b/src/ngAnimate/shared.js
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ var isFunction  = angular.isFunction;
 var isElement   = angular.isElement;
 
 var ELEMENT_NODE = 1;
+var TEXT_NODE = 3;
 var COMMENT_NODE = 8;
 
 var NG_ANIMATE_CHILDREN_DATA = '$$ngAnimateChildren';
@@ -72,7 +73,7 @@ function removeFromArray(arr, val) {
 }
 
 function stripCommentsFromElement(element) {
-  if (element.nodeType === ELEMENT_NODE) {
+  if (element.nodeType === ELEMENT_NODE || element.nodeType === TEXT_NODE) {
     return jqLite(element);
   }
   if (element.length === 0) return [];
@@ -81,17 +82,17 @@ function stripCommentsFromElement(element) {
   // is the only element within the jqLite wrapper.
   // (it's important that we retain the element instance.)
   if (element.length === 1) {
-    return element[0].nodeType === ELEMENT_NODE && element;
+    return (element[0].nodeType === ELEMENT_NODE || element[0].nodeType === TEXT_NODE) && element;
   } else {
-    return jqLite(extractElementNode(element));
+    return jqLite(extractNonCommentNode(element));
   }
 }
 
-function extractElementNode(element) {
+function extractNonCommentNode(element) {
   if (!element[0]) return element;
   for (var i = 0; i < element.length; i++) {
     var elm = element[i];
-    if (elm.nodeType == ELEMENT_NODE) {
+    if (elm.nodeType === ELEMENT_NODE || elm.nodeType === TEXT_NODE) {
       return elm;
     }
   }
diff --git a/test/ngAnimate/animateSpec.js b/test/ngAnimate/animateSpec.js
index cf4d4fefd45a..a6520a1e2cb4 100644
--- a/test/ngAnimate/animateSpec.js
+++ b/test/ngAnimate/animateSpec.js
@@ -129,6 +129,20 @@ describe("animations", function() {
       };
     }));
 
+    it('should animate text nodes', function() {
+      module(function($animateProvider) {
+        $animateProvider.classNameFilter(/only-allow-this-animation/);
+      });
+      inject(function($animate, $rootScope, $compile) {
+        var newWrapper = angular.element('<span>new text</span>');
+        $compile(newWrapper.contents())($rootScope);
+        var oldContents = element.contents();
+        var newContents = newWrapper.contents();
+        $animate.enter(newContents, element);
+        $animate.leave(oldContents);
+      });
+    });
+
     it('should animate only the specified CSS className matched within $animateProvider.classNameFilter', function() {
       module(function($animateProvider) {
         $animateProvider.classNameFilter(/only-allow-this-animation/);