Gila Monster

Heloderma suspectum

NATURAL HABITAT
The Gila monster is found in scrublands, deserts and oak woodlands.

DIET
IN THE WILD – Birds, eggs, frogs, lizards and insects
IN THE ZOO – Rodents

FASCINATING FACTS

• Only venomous lizard native to the United States
• Store fat in tails during the winter months
• May spend more than 95 percent of their life in underground burrows
• A protein found in their saliva has been used in FDA approved treatments for type 2 diabetes