Venomous Gila Monsters Stalk Prey in the Desert
by Aloniab Gezae, age 7
Do you like lizards? Hopefully you do, because in this article you will be learning all about a lizard called the Gila monster.
The Gila monster, named after the Gila River, is a reptile that can grow to weigh 10 to 12 pounds. These lizards also have a venomous bite which they use to hunt small animals. Their favorite food are small snakes.
When it comes to their diet, Gila monsters also eat eggs, small lizards, and young mammals. But, Gila monster venom seems to have little effect on frogs and nobody quite knows why. Gila monsters have sprawling feet with claws that help them capture prey. They also have special sensory organs in their mouths to help sense the environment.
The lifespan of a Gila monster in captivity is up to 40 years! That’s a long time! These lizards protect their skin with a rough exterior. This is especially important to combat the rough desert environment and the predators that live within it.
Although the Gila monster is large in size, their eyes are tiny in comparison which causes them to have bad vision. Due to their bad eye sight, Gila monsters they heavily rely on hearing, feeling, and smelling their surroundings.
As you can see, the Gila Monster has some very interesting and cool features! hope you liked learning about the Gila monster!
[Source:
Encyclopedia of North American Animals
]