Lansing Lizard scales his way to social media stardom

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - A local Lansing lizard is taking the internet by storm and he’s gaining quite the following. He’s not a chameleon but he’s one in a cham-illion.

Meet Winston the Tegu, a black and white Argentinean Tegu, whose internet popularity is tipping the scales.

At 4 feet long and 15 pounds, he’s far from tiny but make no mistake, Winston the not-so-little lizard is very lovable and he has the social media following to prove it. Between Facebook and Instagram, Winston the Tegu has more than 120,000 followers.

With the help of his human, Sarah Curry, Winston the Tegu educates his following on the reptilian way of life.

“Most of our followers they’re not reptile people at all they just want to know more about Winston and his species,” said Curry. “And we have almost 100,000 people on there and everybody is just, they’re great, they share his story.”

Sarah Curry has two lizards, Winston the Tegu and a bearded dragon named Spike. She’s had a passion for reptiles since before Winston’s time.

“I’ve always been into reptiles. Reptiles are great they are highly misunderstood animals. They’re very sophisticated, intelligent living beings.” said Curry.

Winston wasn’t always a social media star and Winston hasn’t always been a happy lizard. When Winston was younger, he was dumped off in a box in front of a zoo before he was taken by an animal rescue.

“I’ve always been into reptiles, all my life. And then, eventually, I wanted something more personable and bigger,” said Curry.

She adopted Winston in 2015 and started sharing videos of his life on social media. Curry now dedicates her time to sharing Winston’s story, educating his followers about the importance of proper reptile care.

“By showing Winston’s environment and showing how he is with me and what I do to take care of him and feed him and providing the enrichment that he needs to thrive,” said Curry. “I try my best to educate how important it is to enrich the lives of exotic animals to keep them happy and healthy.”

Curry said that behind the scenes, Winston is a lot of work which is why she said showing that hard work is important.

“People think they’re aggressive when really, they’re just really upset. So it is my mission to educate those people who see them as aggressive to see that they’re not if you take care of them properly,” said Curry.

When Winston is not sharing his life, he spends his days in his homemade habitat where he collects shoes (his favorite).

To see Winston and his shoe collection head to his Facebook here or his Instagram here.

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