GRAAAAPES!
July 13, 2017 4:25 PM   Subscribe

A giant lizard doesn't wag his tail. He won't knock you over when you walk in the door and drown you in welcome-home kisses. But Scott and his wife Ice know their 20-pound Argentine red tegu loves them [soft music and ambient] — in his own lizardly way [soft music and ambient]. Be sure to watch the FAQ [narration]. Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn
posted by Johnny Wallflower (13 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
Awww. Cute? I think?
posted by Cat Pie Hurts at 5:34 PM on July 13, 2017


Cool. The skull on Wikipedia looks like a mammal skull. As it gets older, teeth become fewer and more specialized - much like incisors, canines and molars.
posted by bonobothegreat at 5:57 PM on July 13, 2017


Some species of turtles and tortoises can be similarly affectionate, as pets or not. I was recently part of a merry band that stopped traffic on a busier-than-usual backroad to help a young Snapping Turtle across the road. Anywhere on their shell you can grab 'em, they can bite or claw you, so we had two stout sticks and four brave companions. Shoved 'em under the plastron font and rear, and hurriedly deposited him on the side of the road he was headed toward.

One of us had the bright idea to scrape the mud off the back of his shell with a stick. He sort of stood there, and then started swaying side to side, and when she stopped scraping, he started backing up at us, blade-jaws agape! OK, OK, more stick skritches, a happy turtle dance, and then he trundled off into the bushes. Wouldn't want a snapper as a pet, as they are dangerous as hell and ugly as sin, but this one, in this moment, was cute. I know kids growing up who had red-eared sliders who'd do tricks for raisins or crickets, and go nuts with turtle joy when their favorite human came into the room.
posted by Slap*Happy at 6:00 PM on July 13, 2017 [10 favorites]


What a lovely boy!
posted by turbid dahlia at 6:02 PM on July 13, 2017


Having watched a large red lizard eat a grape to the backdrop of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, it seems I have officially seen everything.
posted by delight at 6:02 PM on July 13, 2017 [2 favorites]


BRB sending this to my Komodo dragon obsessed mother
posted by Hermione Granger at 6:41 PM on July 13, 2017 [1 favorite]


Apropos of nothing, don't feed grapes to dogs. They're toxic to 'em.
posted by blue t-shirt at 7:54 PM on July 13, 2017


Wouldn't want a snapper as a pet, as they are dangerous as hell and ugly as sin

And fences are no use against them.

Why, yes, I'll use any excuse to show that picture
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:47 PM on July 13, 2017 [5 favorites]


I demand a photo of you wrangling a herd of snapping turtles a la Chris Pratt in Jurassic World, Johnny Wallflower
posted by Hermione Granger at 10:34 PM on July 13, 2017


Shoved 'em under the plastron front and rear,

I refuse to Google what this means.
posted by PareidoliaticBoy at 10:35 PM on July 13, 2017


I demand a photo of you wrangling a herd of snapping turtles

Best I can do is get one to pose for a glamour shot.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:51 PM on July 13, 2017 [3 favorites]


Oh god no not these two!

On Tumblr animal blogs, specifically the ones run by biologists and vets and the like, they have almost uniformly come down against this couple. Multiple illustrated incidents of feeding this Tegu the wrong foods, interacting with him in a way that is highly stressful to lizards, and while adult male Tegu do have jowls, this specific Tegu, is morbidly obese... This isn't cute at all. It's abuse and neglect.

Also the Dodo is not a reputable animal site, they steal images and videos from around the web with little regard for copyright or credit, are rabidly anti-zoo, even the good ones, and have ties to extreme animal "rights" groups that are uniformly denounced by reputable organizations.

Sorry to be a buzzkill.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 12:42 AM on July 14, 2017 [7 favorites]




« Older What's next - banned bookings week?   |   The world has lost another champion of justice and... Newer »


This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments