Add Animal
    Mammals
    Mammals Birds Amphibians Reptiles Animals Ray-finned fishes Myxini – Hagfishes Petromyz' – Lampreys Sharks & rays Holocep' – Chimaeras Dipneusti – Lungfish Coelac' – Coelacanths Insecta – Insects / bugs Gastropoda – Snails & slugs Cephalopoda – Squids & octopuses Arachnida – Spiders & scorpions Malacostraca – Malacostracans Diplopoda – Millipedes Bivalvia – Marine molluscs Chilopoda – Centipedes Pycnogonida – Sea spiders Merostomata – Horseshoe crabs More Classes
    Filters

    Regions

    See AllSelect

    Habitat

    See AllSelect

    Heloderma – Gila monsters

    A small group of nest predators that contains venomous lizards

    The genus Heloderma contains the well-known Gila monster and four species of beaded lizards. While most of these lizards make their homes in the desert, beaded lizards need higher humidity than other desert reptiles.

    They are usually lazy and sluggish, but they can move rapidly when provoked. They also produce a hissing sound to warn off intruders.

    These lizards play a pivotal role in the desert ecology in the areas of their habitat. By feeding on the eggs or young of small desert inhabitants, beaded lizards help control their populations. Conservation status varies with each species in this genus.