If you love animals with big personalities, you’re going to adore Big Al. This massive black throat monitor lizard just moved into Reptile Adventure Zoo in Sioux Falls, South Dakota—and a video of him exploring his new home has the internet completely charmed. From peeking into other reptiles’ enclosures to standing on his hind legs, Big Al is proving that lizards can be just as lovable as any furry friend.
Reptile Adventure Zoo announced Big Al’s arrival in a Facebook post that called the addition “BIG NEWS” and described his “powerful, prehistoric presence” as the kind that makes the species “so captivating.”
Big Al the black throat monitor lizard makes himself right at home
The video shared by the zoo shows just how much personality Big Al brings to his new digs. In the clip, a zookeeper wearing gloves gently pets Big Al on the back before picking him up.
“This kind of gets him used to getting interacted with before I pick him up as opposed to if I go in there right away and try to pick him up, he might not be as comfortable with that,” the zookeeper explains in the video…