Gila monster (_Heloderma suspectum_) More conflicting statements are made about the Gila (HEE-lah) monster than about any other desert reptile. Some persons insist that it is not poisonous, others are sure that even its breath is poisonous: that it spits or blows its poison: that the animal has no anal opening, hence undigested fecal matter remains in the body, decays, and is the basis of its poison; and so on. [Illustration: _Gila monster_ (Heloderma suspectum).] Here are the facts. The lizard is poisonous and its bite may be serious, possibly fatal[13]. Its breath is not poisonous, and although the animal seems to have a chronic case of halitosis, this has nothing to do with its dangerous properties. It does not spit poison, but when angered it frequently hisses, the outcoming blast of air sometimes carrying droplets of saliva. It has a normal anal opening and voids fecal matter in a perfectly normal manner. It is not a walking septic tank as many persons believe. Largest of the lizards native to the United States, and the only species found in this country which is poisonous, the Gila monster rarely attains a length of 2 feet. Average specimens are smaller. Its beady skin, heavy body, short legs, and waddling gait set it apart from all other lizards except its close relative, the also poisonous _Heloderma horridum_ of Mexico. The Gila Monster is a spectacular black and corral color, while the other is black and yellow. Gila monsters are found in southern Arizona, their range extending northwestward into the southern tip of Nevada and southwestern Utah. [Illustration: _Underside of Gila monster showing anal opening. This photograph is advanced as proof that the Gila monster is a perfectly normal creature in this respect._ (Photo courtesy of Poisonous Animals Research Laboratory, Tempe, Arizona)] _Food and habits_ Food consists chiefly of bird and reptile eggs, young rodents, and such small or juvenile creatures as it is able to capture. It is especially fond of hen eggs and may be kept in captivity for a long time without other food. It is also fond of clear water, which seems strange because of the scarcity of this liquid in the natural habitat of the lizard. If provided with a basin of water it may lie partly submerged for hours. Occasionally encountered ambling across stretches of open desert, especially in the spring, the Gila monster is normally docile and bends every effort toward escape among the stiff stems of some bush or beneath the protecting spine-clad stems of a cactus plant. Sometimes an individual with a “chip on its shoulder” may be met, or one in a normal state of mind may be teased or prodded into anger, when it advances with open mouth, sputtering and hissing.