9 fascinating facts about world's deadliest lizard

The Gila monster (pronounced "HEE-luh") is one of nature’s most intriguing yet misunderstood reptiles. This lizard inhabits the arid landscapes of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico and is well known for its striking appearance and venomous bite.They are named after the Arizona Gila River Basin, where they were first discovered. Let us know more about these deadly creatures that are a mystery to most of us.

Gila monsters are heavy-bodied lizards covered in bead-like scales, known as osteoderms, with black and yellow or pink coloration that covers their bodies except for the belly. The colors allow for the creature to camouflage themselves in the desert easily.

The Gila monster is the largest lizard in the United States, growing to 22 inches long and weighing over a pound. It has a large head, short, stout legs, and a short, thick tail.

With only a few lizards in the world, Gila monsters are one of the two venomous lizards native to North America, with the other being the Mexican beaded lizard. Its venom is made by a row of glands in the lizard’s lower jaw. When the lizard bites, small grooves in the teeth help the venom flow into its prey. However, more than their venom, their bite proves to be more deadly. The lizard's bite is strong and it will not loosen its grip easily on its prey.

The Gila monster’s bite is extremely painful and can cause severe symptoms such as swelling, nausea, and difficulty breathing. Bites are uncommon because these lizards are typically reclusive and only bite in self-defense when provoked.

Gila monsters spend about 95% of their time underground and only come out to hunt or sunbathe.

These lizards have a remarkable ability to store fat in their tails and bodies, allowing them to go months without food. Gila monsters usually prey on small mammals, small birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, insects, other invertebrates, carrion, and the eggs of birds, lizards, snakes, and tortoises.

Gila monsters are carnivores with limited eyesight, relying instead on their keen senses of taste and smell to hunt. They use their forked tongues to flick and pick up scents, which helps them locate prey. Their sense of smell is so powerful that they can detect eggs buried six inches underground.

A synthetic version of the hormone exendin-4, which is found in Gila monster venom, was approved by the FDA to treat type 2 diabetes. Exendin-4 is similar to the human hormone GLP-1, which is released after eating and helps control blood sugar levels.

In 1952, the Endangered Species Act made the Gila monster the first venomous animal in North America to be legally protected. The Gila monster is considered near threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The species is declining due to habitat loss from urbanization and agricultural development.