 Gila monster Or beaded lizard, a species of the Heloderma, the only genus of poisonous lizards. It is found in the desert its of the Southwest United States. Its size averages 18 in. in length and its skin is covered with beads like scales.
It's stout, clumsy body has a marbled appearance, a combination of colors including brown and black with orange or pink, yellow, and white. The tail acts as a food and reservoir. Because the poison glands are in the lower jaw and the grooved teeth through which the neurotoxic venom enters a the victim are set to fall back in the mouth, must fix its teeth deeply in a certain position to give a fatal bite. The only other known species is the black and yellow Mexican Gila monster. | 
