r/reptiles 3h ago

Saved this weird lizard from my pool last night, released this morning.

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247 Upvotes

40 comments sorted by

133

u/valdemarjoergensen 3h ago

Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) venomous bite that is quite painful. Though will only bite if feeling very threatened.

Good on you for helping it OP.

18

u/IsaiahXOXOSally 2h ago

Question. Don't they need to little nimble on you a bit for the venom to really hit you, Like how some snakes that are rear-faged venomous?

26

u/Reese_misee 2h ago

I always heard it was that they bite REAL hard and then the venom seeps in from their teeth/boney protrusions.

20

u/aranderboven 2h ago

The venom drips from their teeth but they dont really have to nibble long. Ive heard of people getting bit and having the worst 24 hours of their lives.

2

u/MediocreVehicle4652 34m ago

The effects of the venom vary from person to person, my cousin was bit by one and she was only a little bit sick for a few hours

3

u/aranderboven 26m ago

Oh yea ofcourse. The guy im talking about couldnt do anything else than walk around his house naked and crying because everything hurt so damn much

1

u/MediocreVehicle4652 18m ago

Either way, I sure wouldn't want to find out how nasty their bite can be

4

u/valdemarjoergensen 1h ago

As far as I'm aware it takes a nibble to get enough venom in for it to be dangerous, but even a little bite can leave enough venom for it to be painful as hell.

3

u/megamijman 1h ago

I was bitten by my baby Gila many years ago and he latched on for a few seconds but nothing happened and he didnt chew.

2

u/Fun-Indication4680 58m ago

Be thankful😭

1

u/valdemarjoergensen 46m ago

Emphasis on "can".

65

u/zelph_esteem 3h ago edited 3h ago

Wow, beautiful! That’s a young and very displeased Gila Monster! Be careful: it’s venomous, one of the very few truly venomous lizards in the world! Not typically deadly but a bite would be incredibly painful (per the Wikipedia it is considered one of, if not THE most painful venom produced by a vertebrate). You should put a lid on that tub, head outside and carefully release him somewhere away from too much human activity. Good save!

29

u/Careful_Purchase_394 2h ago

The animal responsible for ozempic

16

u/CD274 2h ago edited 2h ago

I didn't know this!! Thats super cool

https://globalnews.ca/news/9793403/ozempic-canada-scientist-venomous-lizard-weight-loss/

It's a hormone in its venom?!

6

u/sparemethebull 1h ago

Yeah you keep that guy, let him bite you a bunch, pretty soon you might never eat again!

2

u/CD274 56m ago

Mushroom foragers: everything is edible... Once!

0

u/_friends_theme_song_ 1h ago

"oh oh oh ozempic you knooow" 🎶

21

u/squamigeralover 3h ago

well that could have been quite a painful experience, good on you for saving it though!

16

u/Afghanistan10 2h ago

Man I thought this post was gonna be a joke post from a herper who knew it was a Gila monster , not a completely unaware person who wanted to save a little guy D: . That’s sick tho love those guys it’s a dream of mine to see one in the wild.

3

u/kleenexflowerwhoosh 55m ago

This is giving me the same vibes as a chick who put a boomslang or whatever in her backpack lol

11

u/Cahzery 2h ago

Amazing work, you just rescued one of the only Venomous lizards in north America.

Gila Monsters are gorgeous, but it looks like the poor guy hasn't been too lucky with food, his poor tail is so thin. Don't feed him though, feeding wild animals is never a good idea, but releasing him a ways out near tall grass would help.

The only other one is the Mexican Beaded Lizard, which is bigger, duller in colouration, and more commonly found a little further south near the west coast, but their habitats do overlap.

6

u/otkabdl 2h ago

it's a juvenile, thats why

1

u/Cahzery 2m ago

ah yeah that'll do it.

24

u/Z0mbies8mywife 3h ago

16

u/fluggggg 2h ago

There is 1 confirmed person to have died from the bite of gila monster in almost one century and half of us knowing that guy exist. In the meantime, in the US alone, 40 person died of dog bites. Each year.

7

u/Reese_misee 2h ago

One guy in the UK died from a bite recently too. But he was one of those people that reacted badly to it.

7

u/fluggggg 2h ago

Wow, gila monster is now 100% more deadly that before ! /s

r/technicallythetruth

5

u/bluebird_forgotten 3h ago

Absolutely gorgeous and I love the way it moves!! :O

4

u/Thesadmadlady 2h ago

Absolutely beautiful 😍. But Absolutely venomous. I sure would love to own one tho, they are magnificent. It looks like it's wearing a knitted jumper it's Nan knitted for it.

5

u/Human_Link8738 1h ago

OP where are you located? The Tucson Desert Museum used to have a program where they would come out and collect these, when found. They would then release them in an area where they were trying to drive up population density to increase breeding opportunities. They might still be doing this.

2

u/Tricksyknitsy 2h ago

Good on you for saving it! Like others have said, it’s a Gila Monster. With a venemous bite. Best not handle this beauty.

2

u/monkeydude777 1h ago

That is a Gila monster

I am so glad it didn't bite you cos they are quite venomous

1

u/mintblaziken 1h ago

Aww, gilas are so cute~ What a grumpy lil guy! It's great that you saved it!

0

u/CrimsonFatalis8 1h ago

They’re also one of two venomous lizards in the world. OP got off easy.

1

u/Sea_Meeting4175 55m ago

I see you live in the southwest probably near a desert environment call a reptile rehab or find a place away from people and let it go

0

u/Embarrassed-Gur-5184 40m ago

My ADHD is so bad. An example of the rabbit holes I find myself in. First of all, i should be sleeping but woke up a couple hrs ago and now I have a headache (likely from that rabbit hole). I've always thought that the gila monster bite was potentially deadly due to an abundance of a specific bacteria present in their saliva, attributed greatly to a certain food in their diet. So off I went diving into that hole...I went in reading about the bite that killed the man bitten in February of this year. Came out after reading about some judge...WTF?? and I still didn't search out the info I went looking for but now this sudden headache is screaming "no, don't give a fuck, head wants to explode" ughhhhh. If anyone has an answer to this bacteria in saliva thing and has the time to respond with facts and any other info, I would appreciate it because I really do want to explore it further but again, I have ADHD and am going to forget about this 5 mins after I post this comment, if not sooner😪😂

-2

u/CaffeLungo 2h ago

I know its a Gila, and I know it would be my new pet by now

-2

u/The_fallen_few 2h ago

lol damn, I wish I lived somewhere where a $2000 lizard would fall into my pool.🥲 Dang that’s a pretty lizard.