Facts About Gila Monster

Facts About Gila Monster

1. You can find Gila monsters in the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chicuahuan deserts of Mexico.  You can also find them in Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Utah.

2. They are solitary and live in desert and semidesert areas with just enough moisture to support a few shrubs.   They prefer rocky foothills and avoid open areas.

3. They are inactive much of the time, hiding in burrows or under rocks.

4. During cold winter months, Gila monsters stay in their burrows and have fat stores in their tails to keep them alive. 

5. When spring comes, they begin to hunt again. 

6. During the summer, the lizards only come out in the evening (they are nocturnal).

7. It has a large head, large jaws, thick tail, four short strong legs, and five toed feet with sharp claws.

8. Gila (pronounced HEE-la) monsters have scaly, bead-like skin that is pink, yellow, and black.

9. When it is under trees or bushes it is camouflaged and when it is not, its red, pink, orange, and black colors are a warning to predators.

10. It is a slow-moving lizard.

11. Only one of a handful of poisonous lizards.

12. Gila monsters eat small mammals like rats and mice. They also eat centipedes, insects, worms, birds, and rabbits. They even eat lizards, frogs, and bird eggs.

13. To track prey, the Gila monster flicks its forked tongue out to pick up scent particles in the air.  These lizards are not very fast, so they need to sneak up on animals and bite them before they get away. 

14. Gila monsters don’t chew their food, they just swallow it whole; however they do break open the eggs.

15. Gila monster is the only venomous lizard native to the United States and one of only two known species of venomous lizards in North America, the other being its close relative, the Mexican beaded lizard (H. horridum).

16. Gila monster saliva is venomous. 

17. Most of the Gila monster’s teeth have two grooves that conduct the venom, a nerve toxin, from glands in the lower jaw.  The toxin is not injected like that of the snake, but flows into the wound as the lizard chews on its victim.  While the bite can overpower predators and prey, it is rarely fatal to humans.

18. It has been reported that the Gila monster may flip over while its jaws are still clamped onto prey.  This move may help its venom flow into the wound.Cats and dogs often kill the lizards and some are illegally collected for the pet trade.

19. To warn off potential predators, they will open their mouths very wide and hiss. 

20. The venomous saliva of the Gila monster may be more useful as a defense against predators than for hunting, because most of the lizard’s prey is small enough to be subdued by the strength of the bite. 

21. The Gila monster is afraid of large animals and people.

22. The Gila monster is the only poisonous lizard found in North America.

23. It is named after the Gila River Basin in Arizona.

24. A Gila monster can live months without food by living off fat stored in its tail.

25. Gila monster spit can be used to treat Type II diabetes.

26. Its life span is about 20 years.

27. It is the largest lizard in the USA.

28. Gila monsters are rarely seen because they spend 90% of their time underground.

29. Because it stores nutritional fat in its tail, the tail can be either plump and rounded or short and shriveled up, depending on the season and health of the animal.

30. It is afraid of humans, but will attack if persistently irritated by being picked up or cornered.  When it does bite, it bites hard and hangs on with bulldog tenacity.

31. Anyone bitten by a Gila monster should seek medical attention as soon as possible to clean and evaluate the wound which may have teeth imbedded in it.