Gila monster
From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Gila Monster Conservation status: Vulnerable
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| Heloderma suspectum Cope, 1869 |
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The Gila monster (pronounced HEE-LA) is a poisonous desert lizard. The Gila monster’s name comes from the Gila River in Arizona, USA.
The Gila monster is heavy and slow. It can grow up to 2 feet(60 cm) long. Its skin looks like beads and is black, pink, orange, and yellow. It looks a lot like the Mexican beaded lizard.
The Gila monster can bite quickly and hold on tightly, but it does not kill humans. It usually eats small rodents, young birds and eggs. The lizard chews its prey, injecting its venom (poison) into the animal. The Gila monster can also store food in its tail.
In 2005 a medicine to treat diabetes was made from the Gila monster’s saliva. Some people who take it call it "lizard spit" as a joke.
