Governor Garry Herbert signed a bill into law that
made the Gila monster the Utah State Reptile. The Gila monster joins the varied
list of other state symbols, such as Rocky Mountain Elk, California Seagull,
Dutch Oven, Square Dance, and the Beehive Cluster located in the constellation
of Cancer the Crab.
Rep. Lowry Snow, R-Santa Clara, sponsored HB144 that
designates the Gila monster as the state’s reptile after students at Lava Ridge
Intermediate School in Santa Clara lobbied him for the addition.
The Gila monster is named after the Gila River, a
Colorado River tributary that flows through Arizona and New Mexico. Primarily
located in west-central Arizona, these reptiles are also native to Nevada and
New Mexico, and small parts of California and Utah. Most Gila monsters can be
found in Utah at Snow Canyon State Park and are a protected species in every
place they are located.
The large, heavy-bodied
lizards primarily eat tortoise and bird eggs. Gila monsters can eat up to 33
percent of their body weight in a single meal, so they only eat three or four
times a year. As a result, they spend 95 percent of their time out of sight in
burrows and below ground while their food digests.
Gila monsters are venomous
and range in color from yellow with black bands to orange or pink with black
bands.
If you do get lucky enough to see a
Gila monster in the wild, do not attempt to grab or touch one as their venom
can be deadly in large doses. They are slow-moving animals and are harmless
when left alone. These elusive reptiles are very rare to see in the wild, so be
sure to take a picture from a distance.
People are most likely to
see them during the day in April and May, but they may also be seen through
June, July, and August, especially on warm summer nights. However, visitors to
the Hutchings Museum need not worry about the chance of seeing one up close and
personal. One Gila monster, named Toothless, is currently a resident at the
museum.
During last week’s Family
Night live animal presentation, Lucy Larsen wore gloves to handle the bright
orange reptile, while teaching visitors all about the lizard. While cautioning
against touching a Gila monster, Larsen said these slow-moving reptiles do not
want to have to bite a person. “Their teeth are actually pointed inward. So if
they bite something big and strong like a human that can pull away, their teeth
will break and they won’t be able to eat anymore.”
Larsen said, “Even though Toothless and other Gila monsters are desert
dwelling, they really love the water. Toothless loves to take a bath. Some of
the best times to see Gila monsters in the wild are right after a rainstorm.
They will come out of their hiding places to sit in puddles of water.”
Hutchings Museum has a special permit allowing for the care and handling of the
protected species. To see and learn more about the Gila monster and other
animals, museum visitors can attend the Live Animal Show, weekly on Thursday at
4 p.m., or visit the Hutchings Museum open Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to
5 p.m.