Saide says her Tegu is very friendly and, given an opportunity, will seek out human compansionship. She says he likes to be petted. He also likes to on the ground and didn't stay in this position on Saide's shoulder for very long while we were watching. Dio drew the attention of several people nearby. One woman walked over and asked and, when told it's a Tegu, said, "I'll be over there," as she quickly walked away.
Wikipedia says Tegus fill ecological niches similar to those of monitor lizards, and are an example of convergent evolution.