A few days ago, this Gila Monster paid us a visit. (Gila is pronounced with an 'h' sound not a 'g' sound.) They are venomous lizards native to this area. Fortunately they don't move very fast. We watched it for a while as it walked over to a cactus where it stopped to rest in the shade. It was 1 1/2 to 2 feet in length. These colorful creatures eat mostly bird and reptile eggs and spend 80 percent of their time underground. They only feed about 5 to 10 times per year, but can eat up to 1/3 of their body weight at one feeding.
Beautiful but we kept our distance just the same.
They have an acute sense of smell. Look closely to see his tongue.
