Gila Monster © DesertUSA
Click on the thumbnail image
below to get a full-sized image.
gecko photo © John
Hollister
Gila
Monsters live in North American deserts, and are one of two poisonous lizards found there.
They can grow over eighteen inches long!
Like most lizards, Gila Monsters are sort of either or lizards. They're
active daytime and nightime...depending on the temperature.
It will roam the desert at night in during hot times of the year.
When it is very hot and dry, the Gila Monster can't go out in the day because it would
lose too much moisture in the hot sun.
When a Gila Monster wants to find food like a mouse, he stays still until he
can quickly grab it. Then he holds onto the food with it's claws, and poison flows from
his teeth into the animal. Bon appetite!
When it hibernates in winter, its body lives on the fat it stores in its
tail, so its tail gets smaller. During summer, it supplies more fat for next year, and its
tail gets fatter again.
Geckos
Geckos are found in a lot of the
world's deserts.
They are the only lizards with vocal chords. The squeaky, chirping
noise they make is where they got their name. Other lizards make sounds by hissing,
wheezing or whistling.
Most geckos can crawl up smooth walls or high ceilings. They can do
this because its toes are covered with brushy pads that that have small bristles with
sticky ends. They also have claws to help climb in rough places.
The gecko is the only lizard besides the Gila Monster that can be seen
at night in the desert.