Beaded lizard
The beaded lizard is one of the only two species of venomous lizards in the world, alongside the gila monster. Characterized by their distinctive beaded appearance, these lizards have a unique venom that is believed to serve primarily as a defense mechanism against predators, rather than for subduing prey. The gila monster is found in the deserts of the southwestern United States, western Mexico, and Guatemala, where it primarily feeds on small mammals, birds, and insects. These lizards are cold-blooded and can grow between one and a half to three feet long, with bulky bodies and thick tails that store body fat.
Gila monsters are known for their distinct coloration, typically featuring brown or black skin with yellow or pink markings. They exhibit a hibernation behavior during colder months and have a reproductive cycle that includes laying eggs with an incubation period of up to ten months. Remarkably, these lizards can live for about twenty years in captivity and up to forty years in the wild. Currently, their conservation status is listed as near threatened, highlighting the importance of awareness and protection for this unique species.
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Beaded lizard
The two species of beaded lizards are the only venomous, or poisonous lizards in the world. The two species are the gila monster and the Mexican beaded lizard. Gila monsters are a legally protected species in the United States.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Helodermatidae
Genus: Heloderma
Species: Suspectum
Beaded lizards are the only truly venomous lizards in the world. The only two species of beaded lizards are gila monsters and Mexican beaded lizards and they are both venomous lizards. When they bite, the venom drips out from around their teeth. Scientists think beaded lizard venom is there to kill predators, not prey. Very few people have ever died of beaded lizard bites, however, if the lizards have a chance to chew on the victim's body for any considerable length of time the chance of death increases.
Gila monsters have brown or black skin with yellow or pink markings. They are called beaded lizards because their skin looks as if it is made of many small beads. Like other lizards, Gila monsters slough, or shed, their skin many times throughout their lives. Gila monsters have bulky bodies and thick, fat tails. Their tails are thick because that is where these lizards store their body fat. Beaded lizards use their sensitive tongues to help them understand their environment. The tiny chemicals they pick up on their tongues help them to know what prey and predators are present in their area. Beaded lizards grow to be between one and a half and three feet (fifty to ninety centimeters) long, including their tails. Like other reptiles, beaded lizards are cold-blooded. This means their body temperatures are the same as the temperatures of their surroundings.
Gila monsters live in the deserts from the southwestern United States through western Mexico to Guatemala. They are carnivorous lizards, which means they eat only meat. Their diet includes a variety of small mammals, birds, lizards, frogs, reptiles, bird eggs, insects, earthworms, and carrion, or dead animal flesh. Gila monsters spend the colder winter months hibernating, or sleeping.
Gila monsters mate in the late spring and early summer months. In late summer and early fall, the females lay between three and twelve long eggs, depending on the species. Female Gila monsters do not guard their eggs after they have been laid. The eggs have an incubation period of up to ten months. An incubation period is the amount of time between the laying and hatching of the eggs. In the spring when these lizards hatch, they are at least six inches (sixteen centimeters) long.
Beaded lizards have a life span of about twenty years in captivity and up to forty years in the wild. Their conservation status is listed as near threatened.
Bibliography
“Gila Monster.” National Geographics, 29 Mar. 2023, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/gila-monster. Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.
Gin, Catherine. “Gila Monster.” A-Z Animals, 26 Mar. 2023, www.a-z-animals.com/animals/gila-monster/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.
Stewart, M. “Heloderma Suspectum.” Animal Diversity Web, 2003, www.animaldiversity.org/accounts/Heloderma‗suspectum/. Accessed 31 Mar. 2024.