See a Gila Monster

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The Gila monster--as its name implies--often gets a bad rap. It’s sort of like the great white shark of the lizard world in that it gets accused of actively seeking out humans and harming them, when in reality, it would rather avoid them. Most of this misunderstanding comes from folklore. Some say the Gila monster spits venom, some say it can kill a person with poisonous breath--all of that is false--at least the spitting and lethal breath parts. Gila monster are venomous, but mostly use their venom as defense or to help take down prey. The venom is made in the Gila monster’s lower jaw and can be painful to humans, but usually not lethal. The scariest part of a Gila monster bite is the force behind it and the lizard’s tendency to hang on. This lizard and its cousin, the beaded lizard, are the only two poisonous lizards in the world. But that shouldn’t frighten you. Gila monsters will avoid humans whenever possible and will give a warning by opening their mouth and hissing. A protein in their venom has even been used in a treatment drug for type 2 diabetes--some people call the drug “lizard spit.” BONUS: Fun Facts Gila monsters behave differently depending on the weather. When it’s hot outside, Gila monsters will be active at night. But when the temperature is cooler, they become crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) or even diurnal (active during the day). Gila monsters are excellent climbers, often scaling large cacti in search of bird eggs. The Gila monster gets its name from Arizona’s Gila River.

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