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| The Gila monster is a poisonous lizard from the southern United States north of Mexico |
Information about the Gila monster
The Gila Monster is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and the state of Sonora in northwestern Mexico. A heavy, slow-paced lizard, up to 60 cm (2.0 ft) in length, the Gila monster is one of only two known species of venomous lizards in North America, aside from being its relative, the Mexican lizard, although the Gila monster is venomous.Its slow-moving nature means that it poses little threat to humans, however, it has gained a reputation as fearsome and sometimes deadly despite its protection by Arizona state law.
The Gila monster is found in the southwestern United States and Mexico, including the Sonora Range, Arizona, and parts of California, Nevada, Utah and New Mexico (but not Baja California). They inhabit brush, desert succulents, and forest oaks, seeking shelter in burrows, thickets, and under rocks in places easily accessible to moisture. In fact, water-seeking Gila monsters can be seen dipping into puddles after summer rains, and they avoid living in open areas such as apartments and farmland.
Gila monsters spend 90% of their time underground in burrows or rock shelters, and are active in the morning during the dry season (spring and early summer); later in the summer, they may be active on warm nights or after thunderstorms. They maintain a surface body temperature of about 30°C (86°F), and Gila monsters are slow in their sprinting ability, but they have a relatively high endurance and maximum air capacity (VO 2 max) for a lizard, coyote and bird of prey.
The Gila monster feeds on small birds, mammals, frogs, lizards, insects and carrion, the Gila monster feeds mainly on birds, reptiles and eggs, and rarely eats (only 5 to 10 times a year in the wild), but when it does not find food, it can eat up to a third of the body mass and uses a very keen sense of smell to locate its prey, especially eggs. Its sense of smell is so developed that it can locate and dig to bury eggs 15 cm deep.
The Gila monster produces venom by modifying the salivary glands in the lower jaw.Unlike snakes, whose venom is produced in the upper jaw, the Gila monster does not have the muscular system to forcefully inject venom. Instead, the venom is pushed from the gland into the teeth by chewing. The capillary action carries the poison from the teeth to the victim and loosens the teeth, allowing them to be severed and dissolved throughout life.One of the Gila monsters fatally bit its victim due to the poison flowing through the wounds. Because the Gila's prey consists primarily of eggs and small animals, it is thought that the Gila monster's venom evolved for defensive use rather than for hunting. Defensive use would explain the warning light coloration of the Gila monster.
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