Description: A large (total length: 45 - 60 cm [18 - 24 in.]), heavy-bodied lizard with black, orange, pink, and yellow spots with 5 chain-like cross bands occurring on the dorsum from the neck to tail base. Scales on the dorsum are large, round, and bead-like. The tail is short, sausage-shaped, and banded. The tongue is black and forked, and is flicked in and out to taste the air as do snakes. These lizards move on short legs with an awkward, lumbering gate. While chuckwallas are sometimes confused with Gila monsters, no other lizard in our area has black and orange/pink bead-like scales. Mating occurs during the summer and 3 - 5 eggs are laid in the fall and winter. The tail serves as a fat-storage organ. Can eat up to 30 to 50 percent of its body weight in a single meal.
Diet: Eggs of birds and tortoises; also small mammals and lizards.
Habitat: Mojave desert scrub, mesquite/catclaw, blackbrush, oak, juniper, and desert riparian habitats. Found on the lower slopes of rocky canyons, mesic flats, washes, and flats with grassland or succulents. Uses rocks and burrows of other animals for cover.
Range: Occurs in the Mojave, Colorado, and Sonoran deserts. This subspecies occurs in the northern portion of the species range and in western Arizona. While it may be widespread in Clark County, Nevada, few observation records exist to document distribution and abundance.
Comments: This is the only venomous lizard in Nevada. Although appearing
slow and awkward, this species can bite quickly and inflict a painful bite. They
secrete venom via grooved teeth into their saliva, and then use their powerful
jaws to grind the saliva into the bite.
Special Remarks: The Gila monster is a State of Nevada protected species.