The Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) is one of the two
known species of venomous lizards. (The other is the Mexican
beaded lizard.) The Gila (pronounced heela) monster lives
in the deserts of the southwestern USA and northwestern
Mexico. It is a heavy, slow moving lizard, up to 60 cm
(2 feet) long. Its skin has the appearance of beads in
the colours black, pink, orange, and yellow, laid down
in intricate patterns across the animal's body. Unlike
a snake, the Gila monster envenomates its victim not by
means of hollow teeth, but through grooves in the teeth
of its lower jaw. It produces only small quantities of
the neurotoxic venom, which is secreted into the lizard's
saliva. By chewing its prey, however, it tries to put
as much of the poison into the bloodstream of its victim
as possible. The Gila monster's bite is normally not fatal
to humans (there are no reliable reports of fatalities),
but it can bite quickly and is known to hold on strongly.
The name "Gila monster" refers to the Gila River
Basin in Arizona.
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