Warming spring weather and a bit of pure animal lust have increased your chances of spotting a monster.
A Gila monster, that is.
Biologists say balmy days and the advent of the Gila monster mating season lure the pink-hued, venomous lizards out of their burrows at this time of the year.
“Your chances of seeing one are greatly improved right now,” says Stephane Poulin, curator of herpetology at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Today, we offer a quick-look guide to our desert’s resident monster – a chunky, slow-moving, potentially dangerous, but generally not-very-aggressive critter. Our sources of information include Poulin; David Lazaroff, co-author of “Amphibians, Reptiles, and Their Habitats at Sabino Canyon”; and reference books.
MEET THE MONSTERS
The first thing most people notice about Gila monsters is their size. They’re big honkin’ lizards with conspicuously thick tails.
“The largest one ever recorded was 22 1/4 inches long,” says Poulin. “The average is about 16 to 18 inches long.”
Also eye-catching is the pattern on a Gila monster’s body – looking for all the world like a sort of pink-and-orange camouflage design.
And then there’s that sluggish demeanor. G-monsters tend to lumber along in no particular hurry and with no apparent bone to pick with people.
“Their more endearing qualities include their beautiful camouflage, their retiring nature and their inclination to retreat if they see you,” says Lazaroff.
He has often observed Gila monsters at Sabino Canyon, “where the most interesting experience was seeing them wade and swim across the creek.”
WHY THEY’RE OUT NOW
Plentiful moisture, warming weather, good feeding opportunities and the beginning of the mating season combine to bring Gila monsters out in the spring.
“They are in a period of torpor from late October or November to late March or early April” when temperatures are lower, Poulin says. “One of the main reasons for their spring activity is feeding. They feed on small rodents, birds’ eggs and baby birds that are still in the nest. It’s a good time for Gila monsters to get food.”
Mating typically starts once the big lizards are well fed and feeling robust.
Mating could begin about now or in the next few weeks and continue into May and June, the experts say. The mating leads to the laying of four to six eggs by females during the summer. Incubation takes five months or longer.
“Several guests at the Desert Museum have reported seeing Gila monsters recently” in the wild, Poulin says, noting that the critters will remain active until the arrival of hot weather. A second period of activity comes during the monsoon, when rain and periods of cooler weather draw the animals out.
“If you see a Gila monster,” Poulin says, “keep your distance, take some photos, enjoy the experience and consider yourself very lucky.”
ABOUT THOSE BITES
People bitten by Gila monsters are usually people who have been messing with Gila monsters – picking them up or otherwise getting too close. Now and then, someone gets bitten by inadvertently reaching under a rock or a front porch where a lizard is taking shelter.
Gila monsters deliver their venom in a way that differs greatly from rattlesnake bites.
“A rattlesnake strike takes less than a tenth of a second,” Poulin says. “When Gila monsters bite, to make sure venom gets into the wound, they have to hold on for a period of time. They tend to hang on and squeeze. That’s how the venom gets into the wound.”
The bites can be extremely painful and have medical complications such as a drop in blood pressure or swelling of the victim’s tongue.
But – and here’s the good news – “mortality of people from Gila monster bites is very, very rare,” Poulin says. The last documented death he knows of was about 100 years ago in California.
If you’re bitten, by unlucky circumstance or your own folly, take fast action.
“Pry the animal off as soon as possible” to stop the delivery of venom, Poulin says. “Use a sturdy stick or something else to pry open the jaws and remove the animal. Then get to a hospital as soon as possible.”