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Yesterday, while hiking in the desert, my husband spotted a big bright pinkish orange BIG lizard , as it popped out of the bushes!!! It scared the hell out of him, while my curiosity led me closer! He yelled “stop!” Get away!” Don’t get any closer to that monster! He managed to get a hold of our dogs, Cujo and Oso . Yes, they go everywhere with us or just me .He managed to sway them away and took the dogs back to our jeep. A comforting sight due to the severity of the situation. In all the years I have lived here, this was the first time I encountered one! And in my eyes, they are gorgeous! Those bright colors!

They do not have fangs like the snakes do! And when they bite, it hurts like a mo@&#%*! Not only does it hurt, they produce poison in their salivary glands, lower jaw. Snake poison is produced in the upper jaw and the biting is supported by appropriate musculature that forces the poison into the skin.

I want to explain some facts about the Gila monster , so everyone can learn about them! First, they are the largest lizard here in The southwest. And the most charismatic of lizards.

In the winter, they basically lounge around in their burrow, while they can climb, they are basically nest predators and eat birds, other smaller lizards and insects. They store fat in their tails and can go months between meals.

After finding a mate, the female can have 3-13 eggs!

Thanks for subscribing and I hope you enjoyed this article about this beautiful but venomous lizard, these lizards are protected by law and should be left in their natural environment, please let them be.

Thanks for reading and have a great day!