This Dog-Sized Lizard Is Instagram’s Latest Four-Legged Sensation, And His Pics Will Make Your Day
If you’re sick and tired of cats and dogs hoarding all the Instagram love, MacGyver the Lizard is about to become your new best friend. Trust us, he’s more cuddly than he looks.
Meet MacGyver – a 4-year-old Argentine red tegu lizard from California who may be the most popular lizard on Earth. The adorable reptile has over 156k followers on Instagram, 44k followers on Youtube, and he even has a LinkedIn page! Every day, thousands of people look at pics and videos of MacGyver eating, going for walks, and, most importantly, cuddling. MacGyver really loves to cuddle. “He can go anywhere he wants pretty much in the house, but he’ll choose to come over and sleep right in front of the couch where our feet are,” the owner, Scott, tells The Dodo. Keep on scrolling to take a look at his cuddly pics and be prepared to fall in love with him just like the rest of the Internet!
More info: Instagram | Youtube | Linkedin
Meet MacGyver – an Argentine red tegu lizard from California who may be the most popular lizard on Earth
He just celebrated his 4th birthday with an adorable ‘salmon cake’
The adorable reptile is extremely popular on social media
With over 156k followers on Instagram, 44k followers on Youtube, and even a LinkedIn page
Every day, thousands of people look at pics and videos of MacGyver bonding
Meeting new people
Giving kisses
Taking a bath
Napping
Taking selfies
And, most importantly, cuddling
MacGyver really loves to cuddle
“He can go anywhere he wants pretty much in the house,” one of his owner’s, Scott, says
“But he’ll choose to come over and sleep right in front of the couch where our feet are”
He’s just too cute
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His personality makes him irresistibly CUTE!!
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That first pic is like "I want you to draw me like one of your French Lizards". Seriously this lizard is both weird and cool. lol.
These guys can become very friendly and tame. Had 5 wild lizards that we kept feeding fruit and veg every morning, and soon enough, they stopped being afraid of us, came up to us nudging for grub. We ended up with them every morning on parade, waiting for food, and later, they got their wee ones, and they were invited by the parents and waited next to them, to get grub. water melon, apple, oranges, allsorts..
Tupinambis teguexin males develop large jowls upon reaching sexual maturity. The legs, abdomen, and tail appear slightly larger than average, but are in no way obese. A far more troubling photo is the one showing someone "cuddling" the tegu during a molt. Molting is *extremely* stressful for reptiles: they should not be handled at all during molting.
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I really wish they'd stop the importation of all reptiles. Have of them end up in our shelters
The vast majority of tegus available in the US are captive bred. It's cheaper than importing, and produces healthier animals. Many reptiles are only available as captive bred (ball pythons, crested geckos, etc).
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I was wondering that too if it was obese? But if this is how thru commonly look, then NVM. So cool though! People assume only mammals are cuddly! Not true!
that tegu lizard is really overfed. he's very obese. what people often forget about reptiles is the fact that reptiles have metabolisms about one seventh as fast as ours, in general, so don't need to eat much. i'd say that tegu only needs to be fed once a week with one thawed-out rat - yes, you can buy frozen rats from pet shops, as they sell that for pet snakes. reptiles enjoy our hot bodies' heat, but they don't comprehend or much enjoy hugs - they're not mammals. :-)
No. Male tegus develop large jowls upon reaching maturity. It is not a sign of obesity.
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In Florida the black and White tegu and the golden tegu have become an invasive specie creating a big threat for some already endangered local species. They have been introduced by irresponsible owner that became afraid of their size and great appetite once adult and then dumped them in the wilderness. They are now hunted by the Wildlife Services. I hope this won't happen also in California. ....
Check this vidéo on the subject : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v248PdomBUY
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Cuddling and photos are fine but I hope she realizes that such close contact with a reptile can put her at risk for contracting salmonella. I copied this from on line. I checked it just now: Studies have shown that 85% of all turtles, 77% of lizards, and 92% of snakes carry one of the 500 serotypes of Salmonella. Salmonella usually do not cause any illness in reptiles, but can cause serious illness in people. Salmonella bacteria are easily spread from reptiles to humans.
You're more likely to contract Salmonella from a human child than a reptile, dog, or cat. Wash your hands after handling animals/children, and you won't get sick.
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Baby animals, by their very nature, are hard to resist. They are incredibly cute and appear dependent upon others for their very survival. But within a few months, those babies grow up and their natural instincts kick in. They may bite, scratch, tear up the furniture, or worse. This is usually the time that most people who have tried raising a wild animal decide it's time to release it back into the wild. But the problem is that the baby animal may not have developed the critical skills necessary — like hunting for food or evading predators — to survive in the wild.
True. This is why it's critical to do research before acquiring any animal. Even the wrong dog breed can be too much for some to handle.
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That's actually pretty gosh darn adorable little guy :3 I wish I could pet him!
He’s beautiful! Thank you for sharing. It’s amazing how loving reptiles can be. They really are misunderstood by so Many!
I love reptiles and this little guy is so beautiful! These pics are adorable!
I used to have a Bearded Dragon who loved to cuddle. Especially wrapped up in a blanket - aka the Beardie Burrito!
its cute but still i am scared of this guy... i want to hug him but i am scared... :(
There should be more cute lizards like MacGyver, because they show people that reptiles aren't dangerous beasts, but amazing animals, which sometimes posses charming personalities.
Awww, that's life. Hahaha, this lizard has it better than me. Just look at him sleeping. He really loves his owner.
Ik houd er niet zo van om een reptiel als huisdier te houden....maar deze heeft het wel erg naar zijn zin. Wat een leukerd!
I'll stick with dogs cats and horses, thanks. ( we have plenty of lizards in the yard, the dogs love to chase them)
beautiful animal...never seen one like this and yes he is very lovable looking and who would think he had such a personality!!! Too CUTE!!!
This little guy is amazing! I never knew that cold blooded creatures could actually enjoy human companionship like this lizard seems to do. Makes me want one just to freak my friends out with. (Hmm wonder how my cats would react to him?) *L*
He has a cute personality I guess? Reptiles just aren't my gig. That being said, she seems to really love her scaly guy, so good on her!
how many pair of glasses does she own?! (PS for me that thing is creepy as hell)
no thank you! i usually like reptiles and used to have iguanas, but this looks like it's been boiled alive! it's a lobster-gator.
chinese are stupis and must be banned from white countries. the animal may stay.
If you bothered to google the red tegu lizard you would see they all look the same size and have big fat heads.
Load More Replies...
His personality makes him irresistibly CUTE!!
Load More Replies... That first pic is like "I want you to draw me like one of your French Lizards". Seriously this lizard is both weird and cool. lol.
These guys can become very friendly and tame. Had 5 wild lizards that we kept feeding fruit and veg every morning, and soon enough, they stopped being afraid of us, came up to us nudging for grub. We ended up with them every morning on parade, waiting for food, and later, they got their wee ones, and they were invited by the parents and waited next to them, to get grub. water melon, apple, oranges, allsorts..
Tupinambis teguexin males develop large jowls upon reaching sexual maturity. The legs, abdomen, and tail appear slightly larger than average, but are in no way obese. A far more troubling photo is the one showing someone "cuddling" the tegu during a molt. Molting is *extremely* stressful for reptiles: they should not be handled at all during molting.
Load More Replies... I really wish they'd stop the importation of all reptiles. Have of them end up in our shelters
The vast majority of tegus available in the US are captive bred. It's cheaper than importing, and produces healthier animals. Many reptiles are only available as captive bred (ball pythons, crested geckos, etc).
Load More Replies... I was wondering that too if it was obese? But if this is how thru commonly look, then NVM. So cool though! People assume only mammals are cuddly! Not true!
that tegu lizard is really overfed. he's very obese. what people often forget about reptiles is the fact that reptiles have metabolisms about one seventh as fast as ours, in general, so don't need to eat much. i'd say that tegu only needs to be fed once a week with one thawed-out rat - yes, you can buy frozen rats from pet shops, as they sell that for pet snakes. reptiles enjoy our hot bodies' heat, but they don't comprehend or much enjoy hugs - they're not mammals. :-)
No. Male tegus develop large jowls upon reaching maturity. It is not a sign of obesity.
Load More Replies... In Florida the black and White tegu and the golden tegu have become an invasive specie creating a big threat for some already endangered local species. They have been introduced by irresponsible owner that became afraid of their size and great appetite once adult and then dumped them in the wilderness. They are now hunted by the Wildlife Services. I hope this won't happen also in California. ....
Check this vidéo on the subject : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v248PdomBUY
Load More Replies... Cuddling and photos are fine but I hope she realizes that such close contact with a reptile can put her at risk for contracting salmonella. I copied this from on line. I checked it just now: Studies have shown that 85% of all turtles, 77% of lizards, and 92% of snakes carry one of the 500 serotypes of Salmonella. Salmonella usually do not cause any illness in reptiles, but can cause serious illness in people. Salmonella bacteria are easily spread from reptiles to humans.
You're more likely to contract Salmonella from a human child than a reptile, dog, or cat. Wash your hands after handling animals/children, and you won't get sick.
Load More Replies... Baby animals, by their very nature, are hard to resist. They are incredibly cute and appear dependent upon others for their very survival. But within a few months, those babies grow up and their natural instincts kick in. They may bite, scratch, tear up the furniture, or worse. This is usually the time that most people who have tried raising a wild animal decide it's time to release it back into the wild. But the problem is that the baby animal may not have developed the critical skills necessary — like hunting for food or evading predators — to survive in the wild.
True. This is why it's critical to do research before acquiring any animal. Even the wrong dog breed can be too much for some to handle.
Load More Replies... That's actually pretty gosh darn adorable little guy :3 I wish I could pet him!
He’s beautiful! Thank you for sharing. It’s amazing how loving reptiles can be. They really are misunderstood by so Many!
I love reptiles and this little guy is so beautiful! These pics are adorable!
I used to have a Bearded Dragon who loved to cuddle. Especially wrapped up in a blanket - aka the Beardie Burrito!
its cute but still i am scared of this guy... i want to hug him but i am scared... :(
There should be more cute lizards like MacGyver, because they show people that reptiles aren't dangerous beasts, but amazing animals, which sometimes posses charming personalities.
Awww, that's life. Hahaha, this lizard has it better than me. Just look at him sleeping. He really loves his owner.
Ik houd er niet zo van om een reptiel als huisdier te houden....maar deze heeft het wel erg naar zijn zin. Wat een leukerd!
I'll stick with dogs cats and horses, thanks. ( we have plenty of lizards in the yard, the dogs love to chase them)
beautiful animal...never seen one like this and yes he is very lovable looking and who would think he had such a personality!!! Too CUTE!!!
This little guy is amazing! I never knew that cold blooded creatures could actually enjoy human companionship like this lizard seems to do. Makes me want one just to freak my friends out with. (Hmm wonder how my cats would react to him?) *L*
He has a cute personality I guess? Reptiles just aren't my gig. That being said, she seems to really love her scaly guy, so good on her!
how many pair of glasses does she own?! (PS for me that thing is creepy as hell)
no thank you! i usually like reptiles and used to have iguanas, but this looks like it's been boiled alive! it's a lobster-gator.
chinese are stupis and must be banned from white countries. the animal may stay.
If you bothered to google the red tegu lizard you would see they all look the same size and have big fat heads.
Load More Replies...
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