The Venomous Lizards - Gila Monster and Mexican Beaded Lizard!
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Venomous Lizards with a Potentially Beneficial Lizard Spit!
I owe a lot to these venomous lizards--Gila Monsters--for the past 26 years of my writing and editing career. It was because of my love for lizards and an employer's love of lizards that I got my first job as a technical editor/writer. Go figure, eh? (More on that later...)
These lizards are dangerous--their bites are extremely painful and have resulted in death for many of those bitten. Although the lizards are shy and seemingly sluggish, they can be extremely quick to attack and bite when cornered or handled.
An interesting side to their venom is that researchers studying the lizards' habit of going long times between meals and how their saliva (venomous) helps them to digest their food, discovered that a component of the venom/saliva affects insulin production in a way that might be helpful to diabetes sufferers. This research is now resulting in a manufactured drug production of an "analog" of the lizard venom. It has been jokingly referred to as "Lizard Spit"!
This Squidoo is a tribute to these fascinating critters--and it describes a bit about their biology and their habits. Be sure to scroll to the bottom, see the sights, and drop a note to show you visited!
These lizards are dangerous--their bites are extremely painful and have resulted in death for many of those bitten. Although the lizards are shy and seemingly sluggish, they can be extremely quick to attack and bite when cornered or handled.
An interesting side to their venom is that researchers studying the lizards' habit of going long times between meals and how their saliva (venomous) helps them to digest their food, discovered that a component of the venom/saliva affects insulin production in a way that might be helpful to diabetes sufferers. This research is now resulting in a manufactured drug production of an "analog" of the lizard venom. It has been jokingly referred to as "Lizard Spit"!
This Squidoo is a tribute to these fascinating critters--and it describes a bit about their biology and their habits. Be sure to scroll to the bottom, see the sights, and drop a note to show you visited!
Contents at a Glance
- Gila Monster in the Sonoran Desert
- The Creepy Creature Feature of the North American Continent--Gila Monsters and Mexican Beaded Lizards
- Well, You Might Not Want a Real One on Your Shirt, but Hey, a Picture of One is Nice!
Gila Monster in the Sonoran Desert
Gila Monster Returns
Glow the Gila Monster returns after 25 days! Great closeups & action shots, in addition to ORVs. Background music, some commentary at the end.
curated content from YouTube
The Creepy Creature Feature of the North American Continent--Gila Monsters and Mexican Beaded Lizards
When I was a Boy Scout living in New Mexico, I had a rare chance to see a live Gila Monster while on one of our camp-outs. Because we had studied a lot about the hazards of the desert--including rattlesnakes, scorpions, black widows, and so on (including gila monsters)--we were immensely aware of how dangerous this thing was. We all had a chance to take a good look at this seemingly fearless animal by the side of the road where we were hiking before our troop leader herded us back to our task of hiking to our camp site. We encountered a few rattlesnakes also before we made it to camp. After the weekend campout of a Friday evening, all day Saturday, and returning Sunday afternoon, we had seen many of the "dangerous critters" of the southwestern U.S. desert--and my fascination with nature and biology was sparked.
Well, You Might Not Want a Real One on Your Shirt, but Hey, a Picture of One is Nice!
Lick Diabetes 2.25" Button (100 pack)
<center>Support research for the cure of Juvenile Diabetes. 10% of proceeds are donated to the <a href="http://www.jdrf.org">Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation</a>.</center><br />
Gila Monster black T
Original designs by California artist John Monroe. Chinese characters appearing on some items is the artists signature (John Monroe).
Gila Monster Lizard Golf Shirt
Gila Monster design for Gila Monster, Lizard and Reptile lovers. Passion for Gila Monsters, Reptiles and Lizards. Gila Monsters rule the desert. Go Gila Monster.
Another Video of a Gila Monster in its Environment--The Sonoran Desert
Gila Monster in the Wild
Gila Monster (Reticulated) in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona - wild and free -- great closeups!
curated content from YouTube
Gila Monsters--You Can Read About 'Em, or Just Watch 'Em!
Either Way, Get Your Fun Here!
Gila Monster, Heloderma Suspectum Photographic Poster Print by Erwin Nielsen, 12x16
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Gila Monsters by the Bay ... eBay, that is!
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Big Dinosaur-Like Lizard Critters! Gila Monster Cousins!
- Monitor Lizards and Komodo Dragons
- Yup. The Gila Monsters are big (as far as U.S. lizards go). However, if you really want to see BIG LIZARDS, check out this Squidoo lens. Jurassic Park never had it this good!
- Crocodiles, Alligators, Gharials, and Caimans!
- Okay, you want to see more large dinosaur-like reptiles? This Squidoo provides some information on the crocodilians and has some videos as well.
Gila Monsters Captured (In Images, That Is!)
gila monster
Resting at the zoo
Columbus Zoo
Gila Monster
Forked Tongue
automatically generated by Flickr
Well, Don't Speak With Forked Tongue--Write a Note Here!
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- naturegirl7 naturegirl7 Dec 5, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
- Welcome to the Naturally Native Squids group. Don't forget to add your lens link to the appropriate plexo and vote for it.
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- NAIZA NAIZA May 15, 2008 @ 9:52 am
- What a creepy lizards! But, they are very flexible reptiles! I never seen this kind of specie I mean because it is so rare. Great lens and very educational! I really learned a lot. Another quality lens!
by EditorDave
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