MacGyver the Lizard
 | |
| Species | Argentine red tegu |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Hatched | MacGyver July 4, 2012[1] Punta Gorda, Florida, U.S. |
| Nation from | American |
| Occupation | Internet celebrity |
| Known for |
|
| Weight | 7.5 kg (17 lb) |
| Named after | MacGyver[2] |
YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Subscribers | 51.7 thousand[3] |
| Total views | 6.9 million[3] |
Last updated: June 14, 2021 | |
| Official website | |
MacGyver the Lizard (hatched July 4, 2012)[1] is a red tegu lizard and Internet celebrity known for his intelligence,[4] friendly personality,[5][6][7][8][9][10] and large jowls.[9] MacGyver has been described as "a good ambassador of the giant lizard world" for his docile and apparently affectionate behavior.[5]
Background
[edit]MacGyver was hatched at Ty Park's lizard farm in Punta Gorda, Florida, on July 4, 2012.[11] He became an Internet sensation later that year when his first viral video, a montage of short clips, appeared on YouTube and received hundreds of thousands of views in the time span of a few weeks.[1] Since the age of three weeks, he has starred in numerous videos in which he appears to come when his owners call his name.[12] He is also regularly seen eating his favorite foods: salmon, eggs, cherries, and grapes,[5][11] as well as cuddling with his owners.[8]
Fandom
[edit]MacGyver's videos have received tens of millions of combined video views across YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. As a result, he has amassed a social media following in the hundreds of thousands since first appearing on YouTube in 2012,[5][8] and inspired a fan art hashtag on Instagram that contains pencil sketches, watercolor paintings, photoshops, and various other fan-created works depicting the large red lizard.[8] In July 2016, a fan meetup with MacGyver was held at the San Diego Reptile Supershow.[2][11]
In 2024, MacGyver's cultural influence extended beyond internet fame when he became the inspiration for a cryptocurrency named $MAGAIBA. Created as a memecoin by the hosts of the "Círculo Vicioso" podcast, $MAGAIBA quickly gained popularity on the Solana blockchain. The coin's name is derived from the way MacGyver's name was pronounced in a viral 2017 video. Despite its humorous origins, $MAGAIBA reached an all-time high market capitalization of $20 million at $0.02 per coin, capturing the interest of the crypto community.[13]
International media coverage
[edit]MacGyver has received international coverage from a variety of publications such as Vice Media,[6] BuzzFeed,[8] Business Insider,[14] the New York Post,[15] Rare,[9] The Daily Telegraph,[7] Stern,[16] and as far away as China Times[17] and Okezone.com.[18]
On September 7, 2016, AJ+ released a two-minute video about MacGyver and his owners, receiving millions of views on Facebook.[19] On September 11, 2016 The Post featured MacGyver for their weekly Pet Instagram Review, making him the first reptile to be featured for the segment.[20]
Television appearances
[edit]- Oct. 9, 2013: ABC Channel 10 WPBF News [21]
- Sept. 9, 2016: Right This Minute [22]
- Dec. 6, 2016: KGTV 10 News [23]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Virata, John (April 15, 2016). "Meet MacGyver The Red Tegu Who Acts Like a Dog With Scales". Petcha.com. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ a b 李, 雪 (November 27, 2016). "華女寵物網絡蟲蚎 擁百萬粉絲". World Journal. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ a b "About MacGyver the Lizard". YouTube.
- ^ Bender, Kelli (December 7, 2016). "MacGyver the Giant Lizard Is the Oddest 'Dog' You'll Ever Meet". People. People. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ a b c d Cotroneo, Christian (April 19, 2016). "Giant Lizard's Favorite Thing to Do Is Cuddle with His Mom". TheDodo.com. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ a b Bess, Gabby (June 10, 2016). "What It's Like to Live with a Famous Giant Lizard". Vice Media. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ a b Horton, Helena (1 Jun 2016). "This woman and her giant pet lizard are best friends – and an internet sensation". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Krishna, Rachael (1 June 2016). "This Giant Famous Argentinian Lizard Is Relatable AF". London: BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ a b c Grose, Lauren (Jun 10, 2016). "You've never seen a pet like this before – it's a lizard, but it acts like a dog". Rare. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
- ^ Brennan, Sophie (Jun 1, 2016). "This Woman is BFF's with her Gigantic Pet Lizard". FuzzFix.com. Retrieved August 4, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c "About Me". Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ "MacGyver Comes When Called - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
- ^ "MAGAIBA Official Website". Retrieved November 19, 2024.
- ^ Christian, Emily (December 1, 2016). "Meet MacGyver, the loveable giant lizard". Business Insider. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ "This gigantic lizard steals the covers and eats with chopsticks". New York Post. December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
- ^ "Die Riesenechse in meinem Bett: ein Reptil zum Kuscheln". Stern. September 14, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- ^ 蕭, 義正 (April 21, 2016). "龍大又兇猛的巨螂 竟被她養的像乖寶寶一樣！". China Times. Archived from the original on July 28, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ Dharma, Silviana (June 2, 2016). "Wanita Karier Bersahabat dengan Kadal Raksasa". Okezone.com. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ "The Lizard And His Lady". AJ+. September 7, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ^ Wolfe, Sean (September 11, 2016). "Cold-blooded MacGyver warms hearts". The Post. Athens, Ohio. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- ^ "Taegu lizards becoming emerging invasive species". wpbf.com. October 9, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ^ "Hungry Animals Enjoy Fancy Treats from People". Right This Minute. September 9, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
- ^ "Giant pet lizard has become a viral sensation for San Diegan couple". 10news.com. December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.