Gila Monster Male Skull

Description

Gila Monster Male Skull Replica measures 2.7 inches. Gila Monster Male Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Made in USA. Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

Gila Monster or Heloderma suspectum, is a species of venomous lizard native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. A heavy, typically slow-moving lizard, up to 2.0 feet long.

The Gila monster or Heloderma suspectum is the only venomous lizard native to the United States and one of only two known species of venomous lizards in North America, the other being its close relative, the Mexican beaded lizard.

Though the Gila monster is venomous, its sluggish nature means it represents little threat to humans. However, it has earned a fearsome reputation and is sometimes killed despite being protected by state law in Arizona.

The Gila monster or Heloderma suspectum is found in the Southwestern United States and Mexico, a range including Sonora, Arizona, parts of California, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico.

They inhabit scrub land, succulent desert, and oak woodland, seeking shelter in burrows, thickets, and under rocks in locations with ready access to moisture.

Gila monsters or Heloderma suspectum like water and can be observed immersing themselves in puddles of water. They avoid living in open areas such as flats and farmland.

The Gila monster or Heloderma suspectum eats small birds, small mammals, frogs, smaller lizards, insects, and carrion.

The Gila monster feeds primarily on bird and reptile eggs, and eats infrequently (only five to ten times a year in the wild), but when it does feed, it may eat up to one-third of its body mass. It uses its extremely acute sense of smell to locate prey, especially eggs.

Prey may be crushed to death if large or eaten alive if small, swallowed head-first, and helped down by muscular contractions and neck flexing.

After food has been swallowed, the Gila monster or Heloderma suspectum immediately resumes tongue flicking and search behavior. Gila monsters are able to climb trees and cacti in search of eggs.

Gila Monster Facts:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Helodermatidae
Genus: Heloderma
Species: H. suspectum
Binomial name: Heloderma suspectum
Conservation status: Near Threatened

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