This Desert Dweller Is The Only Venomous Lizard In All Of The United States
In the wild, the most agile and speediest animals always steal the spotlight, but there are some slow-moving creatures that should not be overlooked. They have other amazing qualities to make up for their lack of quickness.
Take the Gila monster, for example. This desert dweller is the largest and only venomous lizard in all of the United States.
Gila monsters are often compared to Komodo dragons because they look very similar to each other and are both venomous.
However, the Komodo dragon kills just about any creature it bites. Meanwhile, the Gila monster’s bite is not so lethal, but it will still hurt tremendously.
Gila monsters live in the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Mojave deserts. They have black bodies with pink and yellow marks.
This coloring helps them camouflage themselves in desert regions. Additionally, they have sharp claws to help them dig burrows into the ground.
If Gila monsters feel threatened, they will use a neurotoxin venom as a defense. The toxicity level of their venom matches that of a rattlesnake.
Gila monsters are also much larger than Komodo dragons. They reach up to 10 feet in length and weigh over 150 pounds versus 20 inches in length and five pounds.
When Gila monsters bite, they will hold on to the creature for up to 15 minutes. During that time, they will move their jaw around to inject as much of the neurotoxin into their victim as possible. Once a Gila monster feels that the threat is gone, it will let go.
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Gila monsters do not go looking for fights, so they only use their venom as a defense tactic. They try their best to stay away from humans and will lash out with their venom as a last resort when provoked.
Since 1930, there has been just one death associated with a Gila monster bite. It happened after a man from Colorado was handling his illegal pet Gila monster.
It is rare to see a Gila monster at all because the species doesn’t spend much time aboveground. They spend about 95 percent of their lives below the ground. They come to the surface to eat and mate, but that’s about it.
The reptiles eat three to four meals per year. Their diet consists of eggs, smaller lizards, and baby animals. They store the fat from their food in their tails.
Gila monsters are not an endangered species, but they are protected in the states where they live, which include Arizona, New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Utah. They also receive full protection in Mexico.
Taking photos and observing the Gila monster from a safe distance is fine, but it is illegal to pick up the lizard, destroy its habitat, or bring it harm.
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