📷 (c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
📷 (c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY)
📷 (c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY)
IUCN: Least Concern
Gila Monster
Heloderma suspectum
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassReptilia›OrderSquamata›FamilyHelodermatidae›GenusHeloderma
About
The Gila monster is one of the few venomous lizards, with grooved teeth that deliver venom during a firm bite. It spends much of the year underground and stores fat in its thick tail. Despite its fearsome reputation, it is slow-moving and primarily threatened by habitat loss and illegal collection.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Desert scrub, rocky foothills, washes, and semi-arid woodland
🍃Diet Eggs, nestling birds, small mammals, lizards, and carrion
📏Size & Weight Body 30–56 cm
•weight 350–700 g; sometimes over 1 kg
⏳Lifespan 20 years or more
🗺Range Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico
ReptileLizard
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Desert scrub, rocky foothills, washes, and semi-arid woodland
🍃Diet Eggs, nestling birds, small mammals, lizards, and carrion
📏Size & Weight Body 30–56 cm
•weight 350–700 g; sometimes over 1 kg
⏳Lifespan 20 years or more
🗺Range Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico
Photo Credits
#1(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
#2(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
#3(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY
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