AnimalvsAnimal
AZ Gila Monster 01🦎

Photo: Josh Olander · CC BY 4.0

SpeciesHelodermatidae
Reptiles

🦎Gila monster

Heloderma suspectum Cope, 1869

Heloderma suspectum, le Monstre de Gila, est une espèce de sauriens venimeux de la famille des Helodermatidae. C'est un lézard lent, d'aspect massif, pouvant atteindre 60 cm. C'est le seul lézard venimeux connu d'Amérique du Nord avec son proche cousin Heloderma horridum. Bien qu'il soit venimeux son caractère tranquille voire passif fait qu'il est peu dangereux pour les humains. Il a toutefois mauvaise réputation et est parfois tué pour cette raison bien qu'il soit protégé en Arizona.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Videos
3
Photos
5
Measurements
8
vs you
≈ 1/110th of your weight
Conservation status
NTNear threatened

IUCN Red List assessment, 2007.

Population trendDecreasing
Key measurements
Body mass
0.55 kg
Body length
not recorded
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
29 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Gila monster

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
0.55 kgrecord 0.98 kg · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Maximum lifespan
29 yearsrecord 48 years · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Diet
Carnivorous
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Activity cycle
Cathemeral
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Foraging mode
ACT
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Venomous
Yes
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Snout–vent length
0.36 mmaximum recorded
ReptTraits
Other figures ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

By sex

  • Female0.3 mReptTraitsv1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024)
Volume l
0.6 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Gila monster yet: body length, shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. ›phylumChordata
  3. ›classSquamata
  4. ›familyHelodermatidae
  5. ›genusHeloderma
  6. ›speciesHeloderma suspectum
Full lineage
  1. orderLizards & snakes · Squamata
  2. infraorderAnguimorpha
  3. familyHelodermatidae
  4. genusHeloderma
All 13 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. superclassSarcopterygii
  7. superclassTetrapoda
  8. orderSauria
  9. superorderLepidosauria
  10. orderLizards & snakes · Squamata
  11. infraorderAnguimorpha
  12. familyHelodermatidae
  13. genusHeloderma
More

More about the Gila monster

In other languages
Heloderma suspectum (es), Monstre de Gila (fr), heloderma arizońska (pl), 미국독도마뱀 (ko), הלודרמה מרירית (he), Gila (hu) … and 25 more languages
More photos
AZ Gila Monster 01AZ Gila Monster 02Gila monster (54583488174)
All 5 photos in the gallery →

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