Animalia > Chordata > Squamata > Helodermatidae > Heloderma > Heloderma suspectum

Heloderma suspectum (Gila Monster)

Wikipedia Abstract

The Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum, /ˈhiːlə/ HEE-lə) is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. A heavy, slow-moving lizard, up to 60 cm (2.0 ft) long, the Gila monster is the only venomous lizard native to the United States and one of only two known species of venomous lizards in North America, the other being its close relative, the Mexican beaded lizard (H. horridum). Though the Gila monster is venomous, its sluggish nature means it represents little threat to humans. However, it has earned a fearsome reputation and is sometimes killed despite being protected by state law in Arizona.
View Wikipedia Record: Heloderma suspectum

Infraspecies

Heloderma suspectum cinctum (Banded gila monster)
Heloderma suspectum suspectum (Reticulate gila monster)

Attributes

Adult Weight [1]  1.215 lbs (551 g)
Birth Weight [2]  45 grams
Female Weight [2]  1.226 lbs (556 g)
Gestation [2]  8 months
Litter Size [2]  5
Litters / Year [2]  1
Maximum Longevity [4]  29 years
Reproductive Mode [3]  Oviparous
Snout to Vent Length [2]  12 inches (30 cm)
Venomous [5]  Yes
Habitat Substrate [3]  Terrestrial

Ecoregions

Protected Areas

Biodiversity Hotspots

Name Location Endemic Species Website
Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands Mexico, United States No
Mesoamerica Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama No

Consumers

Parasitized by 
Piratuba mitchelli <Unverified Name>[6]
Skrjabinoptera phrynosoma <Unverified Name>[6]
Splendidofilaria corophila <Unverified Name>[6]

Range Map

External References

NatureServe Explorer

Audio

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Provided by Center for Biological Diversity via Myxer Author: Jeff Rice, University of Utah

Citations

Attributes / relations provided by
♦ 1Length–weight allometries in lizards, S. Meiri, Journal of Zoology 281 (2010) 218–226
♦ 2Nathan P. Myhrvold, Elita Baldridge, Benjamin Chan, Dhileep Sivam, Daniel L. Freeman, and S. K. Morgan Ernest. 2015. An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96:3109
♦ 3Meiri, Shai (2019), Data from: Traits of lizards of the world: variation around a successful evolutionary design, Dryad, Dataset, https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.f6t39kj
♦ 4de Magalhaes, J. P., and Costa, J. (2009) A database of vertebrate longevity records and their relation to other life-history traits. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 22(8):1770-1774
♦ 5Living Hazards Database, Armed Forces Pest Management Board, U.S. Army Garrison - Forest Glen
♦ 6Gibson, D. I., Bray, R. A., & Harris, E. A. (Compilers) (2005). Host-Parasite Database of the Natural History Museum, London
Ecoregions provided by World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF). WildFinder: Online database of species distributions, ver. 01.06 Wildfinder Database
Biodiversity Hotspots provided by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
Abstract provided by DBpedia licensed under a Creative Commons License
Audio software provided by SoundManager 2
Species taxanomy provided by GBIF Secretariat (2022). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2023-06-13; License: CC BY 4.0