The Gila monster’s vivid orange and black bead-like skin is not just for show. These bold colors serve as a warning to would-be predators: “Stay away, I’m dangerous.” ...

The Seri and Yaqui people, though, have folklore that the skin or hide of a Gila monster has healing properties. Gila Monster Myths. In addition to spiritual beliefs about the Gila monster, ...

The array of plants and animals on earth today is amazing and intriguing. Animals have been found living in sunless depths of the sea, acquiring energy from volcanic vents on ...

The Gila monster’s primary food consists of rodents, birds, bird eggs and other lizards. The tongue is forked, like a snake's. Bony plates beneath the skin protect the head and body.

A newly discovered, raccoon-sized armored monstersaurian from the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Southern ...

Christopher Ward was bitten by his pet Gila monster for four minutes and suffered seizures before dying due to complications linked to the lizard's venom, an autopsy has shown ...

Inspired by these findings, Drucker and his team acquired and dissected a Gila monster. Their work confirmed that the reptile’s genes produce the protein exendin-4.

Eng set about studying the Gila monster's venom and discovered a compound that had never been identified, one he dubbed exendin-4. It seemed similar to a human gut hormone called GLP-1, ...

The Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) is the largest lizard in the States and can grow to 56 centimeters (22 inches) long, according to the National Park Service. They can also weigh around 1.8 ...

The Gila monster apparently was named for sightings near the Gila River - and because its appearance brought to mind a monster. Contact reporter Doug Kreutz at [email protected] or at 573-4192.