Description:   They are up to a foot in length with small beady eyes in a large head. The tail is very short for the lizard family. In fact, this lizard looks fat and dumpy compared to most other lizards. Their color is pink and black.

Habitat:  They are a resident of the desert foothills that have cacti, desert shrubs, trees and rocky areas; however, they can sometimes be found in grasslands. They live in burrows mostly dug by other animals, but they can dig their own. They very seldom come out except to hunt for food and spend about 98% of their time underground.

Diet:  They prey mainly on newborn animals like rodents and nesting birds along with eggs of birds and reptiles.

Breeding: Very little is known of their family life in the wild. They have anywhere from 5-12 eggs

Range:  They are found in Arizona and down into southern Sonora, Mexico. There are two varieties of the Gila Monster – the Banded that is found in northwestern and western Arizona and the Reticulate that is found in central and southeastern Arizona. The picture shown above is the Banded Gila Monster.

Its Bite:  This is not a viper but a chewer. When it bites, it holds on and chews venom into its prey or victim. Its bite is not life threatening and mostly causes pain, bleeding and nausea. There is no recorded death from the bite of a Gila Monster.
A Fable:  The old saying “Once they bite down, they can’t let go until sundown” is not true; however, they are strong and will hold on tenaciously.