She craves his attention.
Every morning, Atlas eagerly runs downstairs and heads straight to her best friend’s enclosure. Pressing her face against the glass, she waits for her playmate—a prehensile-tailed skink named Junior—to poke his scaly green head out and greet her with a tiny pink tongue kiss on the head.
Atlas and Junior’s bond is extraordinary, as they’ve become not just friends but family. Despite their differences—a mischievous cat and a typically territorial lizard—they’ve brought out the best in each other.
“When they’re apart, they act very differently than when they’re together,” said their mom, Mallory, an animal expert and conservationist, in a video for The Dodo. “Atlas loves to be mischievous. But for some reason, when she’s around Junior, she just becomes this very calm cat.”
Junior, known for being protective of his space, transforms entirely when Atlas is near. “He turns into this super derpy little lizard,” Mallory explained. His usual wariness disappears, replaced by pure affection for his feline friend.
The duo’s connection is heartwarming and undeniable. “They’re in love with each other,” Mallory shared. “I think that’s just so sweet.”
Together, this unlikely pair proves that love and friendship know no boundaries, creating a bond that’s as unique as it is adorable.