While humans fuss over mammals with their furry faces and warm bodies that keep our feet warm during the winter (shout-out to dogs sleeping at the foot of the bed), reptiles rank fairly low on the scale of beloved animals. The way this dad panics over a bearded dragon is a hilarious example of this.
We tend to ignore that reptiles keep rodent and insect populations in check. And forget about those venomous snakes that devour rodents carrying nasty diseases. Reptiles lack the cuddly charm of mammals, which is probably why having one crawl up your shirt can induce such fear.
Watch how this dad panics
Instagram user afroliciouswomen shared the video of a man reclining in what was probably a comfortable position on a couch. That is until the bearded dragon begins scrambling up his shirt. A small child next to him does their best to grab the escaping lizard, but that thing has other plans.
What starts as a somewhat calm, “Just pick him up,” soon transforms into all-out panic as the dragon climbs up and perches on the man’s shoulder.
The video has already racked up nearly 15,000 views. Like most people, I ended up watching the video back-to-back at least three times in a row.
Let’s just pretend that this wasn’t very close to how I reacted the first time my daughter’s pet snake tried to slither under me while I was sitting on the floor. A little over a year later and now I’m fine holding the snake. Let’s be honest though, calming down around reptiles is not an overnight process.
While the way this dad panics was good for several minutes of laughs, I hope he finds a way to work on his fear of bearded dragons and other reptiles. But until then, thanks for the video.
