These Gila monsters have one of the worst reputations in the reptile world! This lizard is often feared and has been described as frightful and repulsive, especially in local folklore. It has been accused of many things, such as spitting venom, leaping several feet in the air to attack, stinging with its tongue, and killing people with gusts of poisonous breath. Find out more!

As carnivores, Gila monsters do not have very good eyesight; when they hunt, they use their senses of taste and smell. To track prey, the Gila monster flicks its forked tongue out to pick up scent particles in the air. These lizards are not very fast, so they need to sneak up on animals and bite them before they get away.

Their prey includes birds’ eggs and nestlings, rodents, frogs, lizards, insects, centipedes, and worms; they may also eat carrion.

Gila monsters don’t chew their food but instead just swallow it whole; however, they do break open eggs. The monster’s venomous saliva may be more useful as a defense against predators rather than for hunting, because most of the lizard’s prey is small enough to be subdued by the strength of the bite.

They seem to have a loose social structure and occasionally share shelters. Males compete for mates by engaging in carefully choreographed wrestling matches, in which the biggest and strongest animal wins.