Please check out this 18 inch Gila Monster I saw today! (Green Valley: yard, station)

[motormaker]

Excellant video of a seldom see animal. Lucky you to be able to witness this.

[NW4me]

their pattern is quite remarkable too... there isn't anything else quite like it on other lizards/snakes?

[bkolodzi]

Originally Posted by motormaker

Excellant video of a seldom see animal. Lucky you to be able to witness this.

You are 100% correct that I was lucky! But now my good fortune is your good fortune since I captured it on video and shared!

[bkolodzi]

Originally Posted by NW4me

their pattern is quite remarkable too... there isn't anything else quite like it on other lizards/snakes?

While other lizards and snakes have their patterns, I have never seen anything like the Gila Monster. If you go to 4:31 in the video, you can see that between the last two black stripes on the left side of his tail, he has what could be called a black crucifix on the pink section of his tail. Kind of interesting since it is Holy Week and Easter is this coming Sunday.

[eddie gein]

Used to see them in the foothill areas in Tucson. Especially the Tucson mountain foothills washes. Seen a few baby ones inside buildings. They are only a few inches long.

Seen a few that might be in that might be close to that 18 inch range but that's really big.

They really give a ferocious hiss but the only way you could get bit by one is to basically stick your hand in their mouth.

Really beautiful colors.

[Canine*Castle]

Wow! He or she is beautiful but a little scary looking. That black crucifix is very interesting.

[bkolodzi]

Originally Posted by eddie gein

Used to see them in the foothill areas in Tucson. Especially the Tucson mountain foothills washes. Seen a few baby ones inside buildings. They are only a few inches long.

Seen a few that might be in that might be close to that 18 inch range but that's really big.

They really give a ferocious hiss but the only way you could get bit by one is to basically stick your hand in their mouth.

Really beautiful colors.

Thankfully I stayed far enough away to avoid illiciting a hiss (I hate it when they do that). Yes, this one looked to be a really healthy adult. The size was impressive! And you are right, you would probably have to be trying to handle one to get bit. At the bottom of the page: Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) it says:

Dr. Wards Prescription

Dr. Ward, of Phoenix, an old practitioner in the valley, says: "I have never been called to attend a case of Gila monster bite, and I don't want to be. I think a man who is fool enough to get bitten by a Gila monster ought to die. The creature is so sluggish and slow of movement that the victim of its bite is compelled to help largely in order to get bitten".

Arizona Graphic
September 23, 1899

[bkolodzi]

Originally Posted by Canine*Castle

Wow! He or she is beautiful but a little scary looking. That black crucifix is very interesting.

Glad you liked it Canine*Castle, wish you could have been here to see it in person!

[RichCapeCod]

Originally Posted by bkolodzi

Seeing a Gila Monster is not all that common, so please have a look if you are so inclined!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_5seLT-8Fo

Beautiful animal! I've only seen one in the wild since coming to AZ. Around a foot long, crossing the frontage road near Calle Tres in Green Valley. Stopped our car and put on the flashers to make sure the little critter made it to the other side of the road OK.

Gila Monsters are, in point of fact, not monsters at all! Very docile animals, non-aggressive. Just don't go and pet one.

I have a theory; if the guy who named these lizards Gila Monster, had, instead, named them Rainbow Lizards, people would think of them in a whole different way!!

Rich

PS
Never saw a tarantula in the wild yet. Scorpions, a few. Ditto for rattlesnakes. But no tarantulas.

[Chilipepper54]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. We’re headed to Green Valley tomorrow for three weeks.