Gila Monster continued...

This Gila monster did not mind getting photographed, until the camera was brought just a touch too close, at which time it reared its head and opened its mouth to display its array of teeth. This posture makes the animal look bigger, and also prepares the massive jaws to quickly protect the monster. The famous "beaded" appearance of the animal is clearly shown here.

Gila monsters are relatively easy to keep as pets. The cost to purchase one of these unusual lizards is between $1,500 - $2,000. They can be kept in large aquariums, terrariums, or even clear plastic tubs. Their behavior in captivity, like many other species, is different than in the wild. If you contemplate keeping a Gila as a pet, you should thoroughly familiarize with all aspects, including safety. Though statistics are not kept in great detail, it is most likely that the overwhelming majority of Gila injuries are caused to humans by captive animals – not animals in the wild.

One of the more interesting things about Gilas is the almost indistinguishable differences between the two sexes. Two methods are currently available to determine sex, and both require specialized equipment such as ultrasound machines. Sex identification is usually easiest during their breeding period. It is in this annual segment of time that these usually solitary lizards do congregate. Males engage in ritual combat for the favors of the females, puffing up and hissing as they wrestle with each other for dominate positions. This is ritual combat only, meaning that the lizards are not attempting to actually inflict damage on each other. Naturally, sometimes tempers do flare up, and injuries occur. The other time sexual identification is simple is when the eggs are laid – which is done by the female.

Suggested further reading and reference:

• Gila Monster Propagation: How to Breed Gila Monsters in Captivity by Dr. Mark Seward. (Soft cover, 52 pages, 27 color photographs. Published March 2000.)

• The Gila Monster and Its Allies; The Relationship, Habits, and Behavior of the Lizards of the Family Helodermatidae by Charles Bogert and Rafael Martin del Campo (1956) reprinted 1993.

• The Venomous Reptiles of Latin America by Jonathan M. Campbell, William W. Lamar. (Great color photos of snakes and lizards.)

• The Venom of Heloderma by Leo Loeb and collaborators. Published 1913 Washington D.C.

• Gila Monster: Facts and Folklore of America's Aztec Lizard by David E. Brown, Neil B. Carmony.

• Poisonous Lizards : Gila Monsters and Mexican Beaded Lizards (Animals & the Environment) James Martin, 1995.

And to close with some Gila monster nonsense…

A science fiction B movie entitled The Giant Gila Monster (1959, B&W, McLendon Radio Pictures) tells a tale of a giant thirty foot long lizard that is intent on killing a group of unruly teens living in a small town just outside the woods where the creature lives. The mysterious Gila, and its often overblown reputation for destruction was no doubt in the author's mind when he penned this films rather lackluster script.

And finally, the alcoholic drink named after the famous lizard. To make yourself a Gila Monster: Mix the following ingredients in shaker and then top off with orange juice.

• 1/2 oz Vodka
• 1/2 oz Gin
• 1/2 oz Rum
• 1/2 oz Triple sec
• 1/2 oz Midori melon liqueur
• 2 oz Sour mix

Gila monster sightings are rather rare – especially in the more developed areas of Tucson. In fact, most people see them on the road while driving during the mating season when Gilas are traveling to communal areas. If you see one, go ahead and observe it, but stay away from it, and consider yourself to be among the privileged. If you watch one (from a safe distance) using a pair of binoculars, it's almost like being transported back in time – to when huge lizards ruled the planet.

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