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Austin, Texas. This is Eric's Brett. He may be the only human being who's had cosmetic surgery to look like a lizard. I've had subdermal implants, my teeth filed down to sharpen points, and of course my tongue split. Don't try this at home. For Eric, becoming a human lizard was a challenge. Beyond tattooing, humanimals seeking extreme physical transformations are routinely rejected by plastic surgeons. They must turn to body modification specialists who work off the medical grid. Licensed physicians consider the work too extreme with undocumented long-term effects. Eric began his transformation in 1994 and has continued ever since.
He estimates the total value of his procedures at nearly $250,000. I think that most surgeons probably wouldn't do it. They want an implant or um you know, tongue splitting or some kind of uh scarification. And sometimes we have to make equipment for that for whatever procedure they're doing. Though Eric's appearance is startling, unlike other humanimals, he doesn't truly believe he's a lizard. Lizards they have brains the size of a walnut. I don't think of myself as that as an animal. I'm a human being. I'm an artist. I just happen to like lizards.
Eric is part of a long humanimal history of carnival sideshow attractions. Be warned, his act is dangerous. Don't try this at home. His most lizard-like stunt is breathing in a live snake. Fortunately, no snakes are harmed in this freakish humanimal feat. Today, Eric continues his sideshow performances. Yet the ultimate creature feature says he really lives for what happens off stage, making the world more human animal. This is the human lizard. It breaks up their day. That little thrill touch and snapped them out of it for a second. And I say give them that sense of awe.
Omaha, Nebraska. Some fanatic human animals share one of the world's unusual passions and pastimes on Earth. A man who calls himself Snap E. Tiger identifies so strongly with tigers, he surrounds himself with them. And for the last several years, Snap, born Eric Stevens, has belonged to a fellowship of human animals called furries. I'm more than happy to share with people that, you know, tigers is what gets me going every day. Being surrounded with tigers and associating myself with tigers makes me happy. It makes me more of a complete person. I hang out in the chat room. This is my lifeline here. This is all my buddies. Furries wear costumes to express their animal selves. By their own estimate, there are as many as a quarter million
furries around the world. Each year, thousands attend furry conventions. One rule is strict: no press or non-furries allowed. They seek a freely animal kingdom. Their values focus on fun, connection, and acceptance. Traits, they say, are missing in many humans. Psychologists note a childlike connection to stuffed animals, the furries' desire to wear childhood comforts on their sleeve. The furry costume might be that skin contact, and that might be the soothing part. The concept of emotional thermostatic regulation. Uh we want to feel like we're soothed. We want to feel okay. And we're to use whatever takes to do that.
But furries like Snap insist the costume is a means to an end, to live not as a toy, but as an animal. Mentally on the inside of my head, I do live life as a tiger. But I also know when to turn it on and turn it off as far as showing it off to the world. Okay, here we go. And now I'm a tiger. There's a rule when you're wearing costumes you don't talk. So, I have to show off my emotions by big gestures. Mentally, I begin to feel like I'm taking on the role or the post persona of a tiger. Today, Snap continues his furry lifestyle, even teaching others how to make fursuits. It's all part of celebrating his tiger alter ego. For
Snap and others in the ultimate furry fandom, one thing's certain, a true humanimal can't or won't change his stripes. More beast than man, he'll stop at nothing to change his species. I've been a cat my entire life. I've always had a close relationship with cats. Born Dennis Avner, this IT professional believes he's actually a tiger inside. But unlike others who accept their mismatched fate, Cat's tiger self dominates his life. A Lakota Native American by birth, Cat Man describes his passion as part of a long tradition honoring a powerful animal spirit guide called a totem.
Cat's totem is a tiger. Cat's all-consuming passion is to bring his inner beast to the outside. The process has taken over a dozen operations, sometimes performed outside the US, spanning more than two decades. The first modification I did, we started with the ears. Three different procedures to get to this point. The teeth were going to be done as calves, but they ended up having to be done as dentures because my teeth were in pretty bad shape. And uh we did the implant in here and the bridge of my nose to change the profile to make it more cat-like. Along with that, we cleft the lip to make it more cat-like. There's been uh silicone injected in my uh upper lip, in my cheeks, and in my
chin to uh change the shape of my face a little more. Can't legally do that in the United States. And Cat's altered even more. To simulate facial whiskers, nylon threads screw into metal studs implanted in Cat's forehead and cheeks, functioning like a tiger's. I could actually uh walk around in the dark and make sure I didn't bump my head against anything. They do actually work the way that whiskers work. Like a tiger, Cat hunts, eats an all-meat diet, and tries to live in feline isolation. But when he does venture out, Cat is a spectacle. Walking down the street or through an airport, he elicits jaw-dropping stares. Most reactions make
it clear this human animal's gone too far. But experts question the boundaries, crossing the line between normal and disturbed. From his perspective, he's pushing the envelope way out there. So, what line, you know? Who's line? Who makes the line? You know, is there a line? What is that It's a really tough question. Incredibly, Cat isn't done. Today, he's relocated and his transformation is still a work in progress. I'm still looking for somebody who can do a fur. I'm still looking for somebody who can do other portions of my transformation. I'm I'm never going to stop looking.
I'm going to continue to try to get done what I can get done. Push the envelope where technology is today.
