Gorilla gently plays with a tiny lizard

In the classic 1933 film "King Kong," an entire city is terrorized by the arrival of a massive creature with gorilla-like features. From action films to war propaganda, gorillas have been used numerous times as symbols of aggression, humanoid to an extent but made monstrous by their intimidating appearance. But are gorillas really just the more brutal version of human beings?
One picture, posted by redditor iw3z, seems to say quite the opposite. In it, a San Diego zoo gorilla is seen in bewildering proximity of a minuscule green lizard. The reddit user describes the larger animal as "playing with" the reptile, picking it up and gently prodding at it. The lizard, described by commenters as a Carolina anole, remained remarkably calm throughout the process and walked away with its life, which seems to surprise many people.
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"It seems really very unfair that man should have chosen the gorilla to symbolize everything that is aggressive and violent, when that is one thing that gorillas are not, and that we are," famous English actor Richard Attenborough once said, according to ScienceBlogs. That sentiment seems validated when you see pictures like the one above. 
The video below is no less convincing as to the innocence of these gentle giants: Uploaded in 2012, the Calgary Zoo video features three gorillas who are utterly enamored at the sight of a caterpillar crawling around on a metal gate. Like with the above situation, the Calgary Zoo officials report that the gorillas allowed the object of their fascination to live.
Watch the video below for a look at the animals' surprising sweetness and make sure to share this story with your friends!
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