KINGMAN DAILY MINER (Arizona) 21 April 04 Gila monsters refuse to let go after chomping down (Linda Stelp)
Kingman: James Rice was riding his all-terrain vehicle in the Cerbat Mountains near Chloride when he spotted something few people get to see: a Gila monster, the only venomous lizard found in the United States.
“It was the first time in the 15 years I’ve lived in Chloride that I have seen one of those,” he said of the sighting.
Rice said the large, heavy-bodied, shiny, orange and black lizard wheeled around and hissed at him.
Some people would be better off heeding the warning of this native lizard, as Rice did, said Bob Hall, a Bureau of Land Management wildlife biologist.
Hall likes to tell the story of a medical student who asked his instructor, “How do you know it was a Gila monster that bit the victim?
The answer: “Because it’s still hanging from his hand.”
The Gila monster and the Mexican beaded lizard are the only two species of venomous lizards found in the world today.
Gila monsters, which measure 15 to 20 inches long with large heads and thick short conical tails, are found throughout southern Arizona.
The banded subspecies found in Mohave County, west central Arizona, southern Utah and Nevada has distinct black bands around its coral-colored body.
The other subspecies, a “reticulated Gila monster,” which has a black pattern on its yellow or coral-colored body, resides in southern Arizona, Hall said.
The Gila’s southern range extends into Sonora, Mexico, where it is replaced by the larger Mexican beaded lizard.
A Gila monster has a long, forked tongue that flicks repeatedly in snakelike fashion.
The tongue samples the air and ground for molecules of substances that provide the lizard with information about the environment. This mechanism is also used to locate prey.
The tail of the Gila monster is its principal food storage organ, where excess calories are deposited as fat.
In lean, dry years, Gila monsters with relatively slender tails will be found.
Mating takes place during early summer, when females deposit long eggs in shallow depressions dug in damp sand. The lizard lays an average of five eggs during July and August, usually during the monsoon season when there is an abundance of food.
Gila monsters are believed to live from 10 to 25 years.
Coyotes, owls, hawks and eagles prey on the adult helodermids.
Though state laws protect these fascinating reptiles from being captured or held in any manner, Hall cites instances when someone tried to grab this “monster” and ended up with more than they bargained for when the lizard dug its teeth in and refused to let go.
Recently, a woman tried smuggling a Gila monster into a popular Flagstaff watering hole by putting the lizard under her sweatshirt. “Needless to say, the woman was bitten and ended up spending a long time in the hospital recovering,” Hall said.
His advice is just to leave the elusive creatures alone.
“Stand aside and let them be on their way,” he said of chance encounters.
The heavy-bodied lizards are easily distinguished from nonvenomous species by the bead-like surface and coral-colored skin.
The Gila monster is found in rocky outcrops, usually looking for food: the eggs of ground-nesting birds, small rodents and even newborn jackrabbits.
“They are good climbers and diggers because of their big claws,” Hall said.
Described as docile, these reptiles are not prone to attacking humans but will do so if agitated.
“The bad thing is they have sharp teeth, and once they clamp down, they won’t let go. When they start chewing, venom running through grooves in the teeth is released,” Hall said.
Although there are no documented deaths from a Gila monster bite in Arizona, the bite is described as extremely painful.
When bitten, it is important to disengage the lizard as soon as possible, but just how to accomplish this is a matter for discussion.
“It is not a good idea to try and pull the lizard off because part of your flesh would go with it,” Hall said.
The Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center suggests placing a strong stick between the bite and the back of the lizard’s mouth and pushing against the rear of its jaw.
“If that doesn’t work, immersion in water may make it release its hold. The brittle teeth of the Gila monster may remain imbedded in the wound and must be removed by a medical professional,” information from the center states.
First aid in the field is recommended, including allowing the wound to bleed freely, irrigating the wound with plenty of water, immobilizing the affected limb at heart level and reassuring the patient.
Hall’s advice is to get to a health care facility as soon as possible if bitten.
Gila monsters refuse to let go after chomping down