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In many ways, the gila monster is a CONTRADICTORY CARNIVORE:
- It is one of the largest carnivores in the Mojave . . . but also one of the slowest;
- Even though it only eats a few times each year . . . . it stores body fat in its tail;
- It is one of the most colorful animals of the Mojave . . . . but hardly anyone sees it!
Yet these paradoxical features equip the gila for desert survival. Southwestern deserts are tough places to live– it is both HOT (110 is a cool day in July!) and DRY (some areas are lucky to get 4 inches of rain in the entire year).
Here’s how the gila monster is equipped to survive:
A Meaty Meal
Carnivores eat meat. Many carnivores use speed to catch their prey, and many animals have to be fast to avoid being somebody else’s meal. But gila monsters can survive by being slow because:
Gila monsters eat mostly eggs from birds or other reptiles, as well as very young mammals. Gilas don’t need to be fast to catch this prey!
The skull of the gila monster is bumpy, and their scales are pebbly and bony. These features, along with their large size, probably help keep gilas safe from other predators.
The gila seems to have poor eyesight, but an excellent sense of smell. Rather than using its nose, gilas use their tongue to smell for food. They flick their forked tongue in and out, searching for their next meal. When you visit Gill at the Springs Preserve, watch for him to flick his tongue out – what color do you see?
Unlike humans, gila monsters don’t have to eat every day. In fact, they may only eat every month or two. They rely on the fat stored in their tail because meals can be scarce in the tough desert environment. A fat tail means a healthy gila!
Dangerous Colors
The gila monster is venomous. The gila’s bright colors of black with orange or yellow warns other animals to stay away or “watch out!” These colors mean the same thing when we use them on school buses, stop lights, and stop signs.
Because the gila monster’s prey are mostly small and vulnerable, the venomous saliva is probably used to help keep it safe from predators rather than for hunting.
Staying Alive
Gila monsters spend most of their lives underground, coming out only occasionally to find food or to look for a mate. Some gilas have been documented to spend 95% of the year underground!
Gila monsters can live like this because they are reptiles. Reptiles don’t have to eat as much food as warm-blooded animals such as birds and mammals.
Fun Facts
The Gila monster is the largest lizard native to the United States – it can grow up to 2 feet long and weigh 5 pounds!- It takes a gila monster 5 years to become an adult
- They can live to be 20 years old in the wild
- Gila monsters hibernate during the coldest months of the year, emerging in the spring time to find a mate. 5-6 eggs are laid by late summer, but won’t hatch until spring of the following year.
- According to the San Diego Zoo, “In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration of the United States approved a drug for the management of type 2 diabetes based on a protein from the Gila monster’s saliva. The drug is sometimes referred to as “lizard spit.”
