Today at Ryder’s Ranch we rescued an absolutely BEAUTIFUL new reptile… a 6-month-old melanistic water monitor, also known as a BLACK DRAGON monitor lizard! 🖤🐉
In this video, the previous owners brought him directly to our property where we officially welcomed him into the family. Before introducing him to his new setup, we gave them a full tour around Ryder’s Ranch so they could see all of the exotic animals we care for here in South Florida — including our venomous snakes, king cobras, alligators, birds, tortoises, and more.
After meeting our new little dragon, we headed to Home Depot to grab supplies and everything we needed to start building and setting up his enclosure. From heating and lighting to climbing structures and habitat upgrades, this is just the beginning of his journey here at the ranch.
Melanistic water monitors are incredibly rare and absolutely stunning reptiles. Their dark black coloration gives them an almost prehistoric dragon-like appearance, and as he grows bigger, he is going to become one of the most insane lizards on the property.
We are extremely excited to work with this species and give him the best possible life and enclosure we can provide. Be sure to comment below with name suggestions for our new Black Dragon! 🐉
If you enjoy exotic animal content, giant reptiles, venomous snakes, alligator videos, reptile room builds, animal rescues, and behind-the-scenes ranch life, make sure to subscribe and turn notifications on so you don’t miss future videos from Ryder’s Ranch and Tyler Nolan Tattoos
