Gila monster
The Gila monster is a heavy, slow-moving lizard with a venomous bite. It lives in the south-western United States and the Mexican state of Sonora. It is the only venomous lizard native to the United States, but it rarely poses a real threat to people.1

Com reconèixer-lo
- Adults are yellow to pink on a black background.1
- Hatchlings have a simple, uniform pattern that is less colourful, and it changes over their first 6 months.1
- It has a heavy body, a stout snout and a massive head.1
- Adults can reach 56 cm in total length.1
- Males often have larger, more triangular heads than females.1
Sovint es confon amb: Its closest relatives are beaded lizards, which live in Mexico and Guatemala. In the United States, the Gila monster is the only venomous lizard.1
Poder del verí
El verí surt pels ullals o les dents quan mossega.
Què fa el seu verí?
The venom is made in glands in the lower jaw and flows along grooves in the lower teeth into the bite. It contains more than a dozen peptides and other substances, which cause pain and swelling. Four potentially lethal toxins have been found, which can cause bleeding inside the organs.1
Com de perillós és per a les persones?
Perill per a les persones: GreuUna mossegada necessita un metge. Les morts són molt rares.The venom is usually not fatal to healthy adults. One death has been confirmed since 1930, on 16 February 2024. Earlier deaths involved adults who were drunk or whose bite was treated badly. Bites are painful and can cause shock, but the lizard is sluggish and rarely a real threat.1
Què fa quan té por?
Its bright colours may warn predators to keep away, because it can inflict pain.1
Si mossega
- Bites are painful and need emergency medical care, because the venom may cause shock. Get medical help as quickly as possible.1
- Renta la ferida, mantén la persona tranquil·la i busca ajuda mèdica.
Truca sempre primer al número d'emergències (112, 000, 911). Això són pautes generals de primers auxilis, no consells mèdics. Primers auxilis bàsics
Estigues segur
- No toquis, atrapis ni molestis mai un animal salvatge, encara que sigui petit i encara que sembli adormit o mort.
- Deixa-li espai. Si en trobes un, mantén la calma, recula a poc a poc i deixa que segueixi el seu camí.
- Si te'n mossega un: mantén la calma, no et moguis, truca al número d'emergències (112, 000, 911) o ves de pressa a un hospital. Recorda com era, una foto ajuda.
No va a per tu. Fa servir el verí per caçar o per defensar-se, i prefereix mil vegades amagar-se. Més sobre com estar segur
Que gran és?
Quant fa de llarg?
Quant pesa?
fa de llarg com 3 plàtans en fila
fa de llarg com 18 peces de construcció de joguina en fila
podria recórrer 100 metres en 150 segons (l'humà més ràpid necessita 9,6)Que gran és Gila monster comparat amb TU?
Només càlculs al teu navegador. No es desa ni s'envia res enlloc.
Com de ràpid va?
Dades
Exendin-4, one of the venom's peptides, led to the development of GLP-1 receptor agonists, which treat type 2 diabetes and obesity.1
Young Gila monsters can swallow up to half of their body weight in a single meal.1
It can store fat in its tail and survive a whole season on three to four large meals in spring.1
Its venom is thought to have evolved mainly for defence, because its prey is mostly eggs, small animals and other helpless prey.1
It can climb trees, cacti and fairly straight, rough-surfaced walls.1
Its teeth are replaced throughout its life, and broken teeth are replaced by the teeth behind them.1
Desmuntamites
Mite: Its bite is always fatal, and its breath is poisonous.
Veritat: The venom is usually not fatal to healthy adult humans. One death has been confirmed since 1930.1
D'on surten les dades
- Gila monster (Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0))
- Heloderma suspectum (iNaturalist): noms i classificació.
- Venom Wiki: el nivell de perill, la mida típica i la velocitat estimada són nostres. Mira com els calculem: Com valorem el perill.
Cada dada d'aquesta pàgina té un número que porta a la seva font. Si ens hem equivocat en alguna cosa, perdona, som fans dels animals, no una revista científica. Escriu-nos a [email protected] i ho arreglarem.
Mossegades

