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Gila Monster
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| The Gila Monster is a large fat lizard
with a large head, tiny eyes and a fat stumpy tail. The color is usually
a mottled blend of orange or pink and black. It is a member of the
beaded lizard family, a name which refers to the bumpy appearance of its
skin. |
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Natural
History |
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Gila Monsters are mainly found in western
and southern Arizona and in Mexico, though they are more rarely spotted
in a few of the other states in the desert southwest. They prefer
mountain foothills and washes where saguaros and polo verde trees are
found. They typically occupy two different burrows during the course of
the year that they either constructed themselves or took
 over
from another animal; a winter burrow that they will hibernate in from
November through February and a summer burrow, usually near a wash and a
source of food.
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Gila Monsters
are one of only two species of
venomous lizards in the world (it's cousin the Mexican Beaded
Lizard is the other). |
Gila Monsters eat small or newborn mammals, but will
also prey on birds and lizards as well as their eggs. They eat a lot for
their size and can consume as much as 35% of their body weight in one
meal. They usually breed in spring, and females lay eggs during the
summer. The eggs incubate and develop all winter and the young hatch the
following spring (a trait unique among North American lizards).
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Defense |
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Gila Monsters
produce venom in glands in their lower
jaw. Rather than injecting venom through hollow fangs like
venomous snakes, Gilas have enlarged,
grooved teeth in their lower jaw.
When they bite, their powerful jaws chew
the venom in through capillary action
along the grooves in these teeth. The
 venom
of this lizard is thought to be a
defensive weapon since it probably doesn't need it to catch and consume
its prey.
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"I think a man who is fool enough
to get bitten by a Gila Monster ought to die. The creature is so
sluggish and slow of movement that the victim of its bite is
compelled to help largely in order to get bitten."
- Dr. Ward, 1899 |
The bite is rarely life threatening to humans, but may
cause: pain, edema, bleeding, nausea and vomiting. Gila Monsters are
protected in the United States. It is illegal to collect, kill, or sell
them in Arizona. |
Back to Flora & Fauna |
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