Komoto Dragons and Gila Monsters? (Phoenix: home, summer, kids)

[grmi66]

I've seen one gila monster while out riding my bicycle in Tucson, it was very slow and non-threatening. Someone told me about the only way to get one to bite you would be to put your hand in the monsters mouth then hit it's jaw a few times to get it riled up.

As a general rule, it takes about 5 years for all of the critters like rattlesnakes, javelina, spiders, scorpions to clear out of an area once homes are built. So unless you live in a new subdivision you don't need to worry about anything in the Phoenix area.

[Fadelight]

Originally Posted by peacenquietseeker

The poison comes from the fact that they do not have an anus and therefore they expell it through their mouths.

You are joking, right? You realize that is a MYTH?

Originally Posted by wikipedia

Myths that the animal's breath is toxic enough to kill humans, that it can spit venom, or leap several feet in the air to attack are all false.[22] Another myth held that the Gila monster did not have an anus and therefore expelled waste from its mouth, the source of its venom and "fetid breath".

Originally Posted by wikipedia

Venom


Venom is produced in modified salivary glands in the Gila monster's lower jaw, unlike snakes, whose venom is produced in the upper jaw.[12] The Gila monster lacks the musculature to forcibly inject the venom; instead, the venom is propelled from the gland to the tooth by chewing. Capillary action brings the venom out of the tooth and into the victim.[6] The teeth are loosely anchored, which allows them to be broken off and replaced throughout life. Gila monsters have been observed to flip over while biting the victim, presumably to aid the flow of the venom into the wound. Because the Gila monster's prey consists mainly of eggs, small animals, and otherwise "helpless" prey, it is thought that the Gila monster's venom evolved for defensive rather than for hunting use. A defensive use would explain the Gila monster's bright warning coloration.

[Ponderosa]

I've been here a while and have been stung 3 times by scopions. Mrs. Ponderosa has been stung at least that many times. Don't worry about shaking out the shoes. None of our stings came from shoes and I have never found a scorpion in one. My advice would be don't walk around barefoot in the dark. And if something is "tickling" your face in bed, don't instinctively swat. And if/when you get stung, don't worry about it - nobody dies from scorpions in AZ - not in the last 40 or more years anyway. If your daughter is big enough to talk to silly teenage boys, then she is big enough to survive a scorpion. All this stuff about new areas vs old areas - don't believe it. Scorpions are everywhere in Phoenix. But the come out at night and are very shy. You have to look for them and you will find them. Otherwise you may never see one until you kick one on the way to the bath at night - then you still don't see it, but you know what happened.

Forget about black widows unless you get drunk a lot. You have to be very drunk or stupid to get bit by one. Same thing goes for rattlesnakes. Mostly drunk teenage/20something boys get bit so that is maybe why this guy is concerned.

Seeing a Gila Monster is an honor. I saw one near Bagdad (that is in AZ) and still remember the experience fondly.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by Sco

What you mean your dog has never been stung by a swarm of killer bees under the direction of a giant scorpion and while incapacitated carried off in the clutches of a coyote or raptor to the desert where the Komodo dragons maintain a lair filled with the Lost Dutchmen's gold.

And really, someone from New Jersey has never seen a cockroach?

Hmmmm............unless said Komodo Dragons have been watching Jersey Shore and think that Snooki is delectable.

[shiphead]

Gila monsters are cute, just don't touch them, and you'll be fine. I've seen one in Tucson, but he scurried to hide.

You know what else is cute? The massive amounts of geckos around. I like the little noise they make.

[lyzzard]

Fear the Jackalope!

[TheRosesCenter]

Originally Posted by Sco

And really, someone from New Jersey has never seen a cockroach?

No, my 17-year-old daughter has never seen one. Previously, we lived on the 2nd floor of a building that was less than 10 years old and practically bug-free. TBH, I never saw one that was that big and I'm 45! I thought it was a cricket at first.

[Sco]

Originally Posted by ArizonaBear

Hmmmm............unless said Komodo Dragons have been watching Jersey Shore and think that Snooki is delectable.

Even a vicious predator like the Komodo dragon knows to stay away from a Jersey Shore skank. Jersey Shore skanks have spread more disease and caused more deaths in the US than Gila monsters and Komodo dragons combined. In fact, I would much rather get a dose of Gila monster venom while being bit by a Komodo dragon than come into contact with any of Snooki's bodily fluids.

[peacenquietseeker]

Originally Posted by AzDreamer

This is the most ridiculous myth ever, I can't believe anyone would think it remotely possible.

LOL AZ. I don't know much about them myself. I just skimmed thriough an article trying to answer the poster and caught a glimps of no anus and ran with it. I went back and really read the article after your post to find out it said it was a myth that they don;t have an anus. Boy do I feel like an idiot. LOL

At least I can say I leanred something. They do have an anus and one should read the whole article before psoting. LOL

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by acrylic

Your chances of seeing a Komodo dragon in the wild here is 0%. They are only found in the wild in some parts of Indonesia - islands I believe.

That's not true. Haven't you been reading the natural disaster threads. One would have 0.00999999% of a chance if they went to the zoo, climbed over the exhibit with the aid of rogue zoo employees and antagonized the reptile; this is still a chance. Unless there is zero chance, there is a chance of being attacked by a Komodo dragon so from now on, we should add Komodo dragons to the list of threats in Phoenix.