Monsters! Not just one, but two!

[jkc]

Late last Saturday afternoon, I anchored my small utility boat in a little lagoon, formed at low water level in AZ's Apache Lake, and began toting my camping gear into a cave-like shaded space pruned beneath the overhanging mesquite trees, that makes a nice, shaded, private, campsite. Coming and going across the muddy, usually submerged "beach" exposed by the lowered water level, I noticed numerous small animal tracks, about 1-1/2" long, with conspicuous claw marks, and based on previous experience, noted them as the tracks of one or another of four local varieties of skunks, which predictably patrol the shoreline about dusk, apparently searching for washed up dead marine animals or other edible jetsam.

As is my habit in such circumstances, I readied my 10-round 617, earplugs, and a SureFire flashlight, in preparation of dispatching with extreme prejudice any camp-invading skunks (which, apart from their obnoxious odor, are also routinely rabies vectors, and in my world, are shot on sight...)

So, imagine my surprise, when about an hour before dusk, I cast my glance upon the muddy shoreline flat to spy not a skunk, but the very rarely seen Gila Monster, a black-and-pink, chunky, venomous lizard, with skin similar to beadwork, as seen on real and faux Native American artifacts, etc.

Not wanting to scare it away, I watched it thru binoculars for a few minutes, noting its trail, then, after it moseyed away, I back-tracked it to confirm that its own tracks were those I'd originally mistakenly ID'd as those of skunks. I then observed that there were numerous, identical tracks, all over the muddy shoreline flat --- there were lots of Gila Monster tracks, mostly paralleling the receding high-water line.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime observation (I've recreated in Gila Monster habitat for about thirty years, and have previously encountered only three ...)

So, imagine my astonishment to observe, about a half-hour later, another Gila Monster, traversing the same muddy flat, following the path of the first lizard. This, I guess, a pheremone and scent driven sexual thing.

A call to my contact at Game & Fish may explain this unusual sighting. I'll know more about this, soon... (Randy Babb, the small animals expert at AGFD, concurred with my guess that the second lizard was probably a male, scent-tracking a female. I'd seen snakes doing this, and he says that these lizards use their thick, black, forked tongues in the same way, by lifting particles into contact with scent receptors, called Jacobson's Organs, in their mouths, for the same purpose...)

Meanwhile, seeing two Gila Monsters in the span of an hour or so is a personal, probably un-beatable record.

Whoo hooh!

[Sebago Son]

Originally Posted by jkc

".. A call to my contact at Game & Fish may explain this unusual sighting. I'll know more about this, soon..."

Yup probably just about the time they close off your campsite because it's habitat for an endangered species...

[Frank237]

Neat story. It's rewarding when You stumble upon rare species isn't it?

I've seen about everything there is NATIVE to see here in MT over the years other than the Canadian wolverines that are native to a few spots of NW MT.

Back in 2000 in South Africa I surprised a pangolin which is a armadillo sort of guy except larger with very pronounced armor plates. I was walking out before dawn to set up on a small hill to glass for kudu as the sun came up. Fairly rare I guess.

How large are the Gila Monsters...length, etc?

[CJ]

Very cool! Two sightings in such a short time. I've always wanted to see a GM in the wild. Did you have a camera with you as I'd love to see a pic or two?

[klondike]

In about 1957 my Grandmother woke her neighbors; nearest house was several miles away when she found the a gila monster was in her kitchen.
Snakes sunning themselves indoors did not cause her to get to riled up but a gila monster between her and the coffee pot just about did her in. A broom got it outside before any men could assist.
This was about 50 miles E of Yuma on the Gila river.

[jkc]

Sorry, no pix. These two were of similar size, about 16" to 18" overall, I'd estimate.

[Texas Star]

Google Gila Monster for pics. I think they can reach three feet, and with the similar Mexican Beaded Lizard, are the only known venomous lizards. Their fangs are in the lower jaw, and they chew at you to inject the venom. And they have a tenacious bite.

However, any of the varanid lizards, like the Nile monitor or the Savannah monitor or the Komodo Dragon, will infect you with a bite, due to bacteria and other pathogens in their saliva and on the teeth.

There is a breeding population of Nile monitors in Florida now. They can reach nine feet, and are pretty aggressive. Anything over seven feet is a really big one. Their native range is most of sub-Saharan Africa, including all of the traditional safari countries. And they are prolific breeders!

There is a Croodile Monitor in New Guinea that is even bigger, second only to the Komodo Dragon.

Hmmm...we probably need a thread on guns for monitor lizards... Is there a legal penalty for shooting a Gila Monster that is an immediate threat?

T-Star

[jkc]

Originally Posted by Texas Star

Is there a legal penalty for shooting a Gila Monster that is an immediate threat?
T-Star

By my read, AZ game laws permit killing any wildlife posing a legitimate threat to humans, but not killing preemptively. Gila Monsters are a "protected" species, i.e., they're not classified as "game", and it's illegal to kill, collect, or possess them. I don't think they're federally classified as "endangered" or "threatened", as they are not especially rare, just seldom seen, as they spend most of their lives in underground retreats, not "out and about". I can't imagine any circumstances under which you would be justified in killing one, unless it had already latched on to you (or someone else) and had begun grinding its venom into human tissue. This would be extremely unlikely unless you had somehow provoked or scared one, such as by molesting or handling it.

Some herpetologist once remarked that "anyone bitten by a Gila Monster deserves it..." Another "herper" once described the pain of the bite this way: "Imagine putting one hand on an anvil, then smashing it with a heavy hammer. And repeat, and repeat, and repeat ..."

Gila Monster habitat is congruent with rattlesnake and scorpion and tarantula and Black Widow spider habitat. If you follow the rules about never placing hands or feet where you can't see, you're unlikely to have an unpleasant incident.

At this campsite, as I was setting up my tent (as a precaution against all these various creatures, not because I needed any shelter from the elements ...), I reached for a rock about the size and shape of a halved grapefruit, to use as a tool for pounding in my tent stakes.
By force of habit, I examined the underside of the rock, and not unexpectedly found clinging to it a small scorpion, of the species mentioned recently in another thread, centuroides sculpturatus, the "bark" scorpion (after its affinity for interstitial spaces, such as under the dead bark of trees...) I crushed it with the toe of my sandal... Later, after dark, I swept my campsite with my purpose-built flashlight, with switchable white light and UV light LED emitters, and found three more bark scorpions in proximity, glowing lemon-lime green. Two escaped, one is no longer with us ...

[LEO918]

Great stories JKC! I've lived in Arizona Nearly all my life and have seen only two Gila Monsters. One in 1952 and one in 2007. The are pretty scarce.

[jkc]

Originally Posted by LEO918

Great stories JKC! I've lived in Arizona Nearly all my life and have seen only two Gila Monsters. One in 1952 and one in 2007. The are pretty scarce.

In fact, they are not so scarce as you might suppose. They are simply not often active at times and in places when they are likely to be observed. Gila Monsters are pretty much dedicated to doing only two things --- eating, and copulating. Being cold-blooded, only limited opportunities are afforded them for either, as they are thermo-regulated by factors beyond their control. To avoid lethal extremes of temperature, they spend most of their lives in underground burrows. Like most reptiles, they feed themselves by gorging on whatever food is available, then retreat into inactivity while slowly digesting whatever it is they found to eat. In the case of Gila Monsters, it may be weeks after eating that they venture out in search of another meal --- thus, they're infrequently and only intermittently exposed to observation.

[LennyLames]

The only time I've seen more than one gila monster in one day was when I was out riding in my Polaris Ranger on a trash pickup trip. I only ride on published trails and my brother-in-law was driving, with my niece as the other passenger (the trash pickup and the riding on published trails are good elements for another thread). Being a passenger gave me an opportunity to better scan the surroundings.

It was my relatives' first time out in the Sonoran desert, and I was glad they saw some of the native wildlife and were able to take photos and videos. On the same trip, we also spotted 2 rattlesnakes.

I was surprised when I first saw and smelled skunks around here. They're fairly common up north, but I wasn't aware that they live in the desert. I assume the damming of the rivers that allow them to flow all year round must have expanded the skunks' range. I've even seen a racoon in the area.

You're right about skunks and rabies.

[CJ]

Originally Posted by jkc

.... I can't imagine any circumstances under which you would be justified in killing one, unless it had already latched on to you (or someone else) and had begun grinding its venom into human tissue. This would be extremely unlikely unless you had somehow provoked or scared one, such as by molesting or handling it.

Some herpetologist once remarked that "anyone bitten by a Gila Monster deserves it..." ...

It's hard to argue with that. I have read many times that a great percentage (something like 70%+) of snakebites in this country are the results of under age 30 males usually under the influence of alcohol that are playing macho man and are molesting the snake. I don't have any sympathy for those envemomated under those circumstances.

I'd think one would have to work at it to get bit by a GM. Handling one or sticking one's hand in a burrow or other hidden spot is all that comes to mind. You'll certainly never get bit by a GM under the circumstances where unprovoked snake bites occur.

The old adage of herpetologists is that if you handle venomous reptiles long and often enough, it's not a question of if you will get bit, but rather just a matter of when you will get bit. I don't play with rattlesnakes and let them be unless they are large enough to harvest and be worth the trouble of skinning and frying them up for dinner.

[John Eilertson]

Wow--great reading! I lived in the greater Phoenix area for 5 years, and spent a LOT of time out in the kind of country Gilas would prefer, but never saw one. I think that besides staying underground a lot, they may do a fair % of their moving around after dark. I did see rattlers, and have helped my buddy kill scorpions. I'll tell you one thing I think Hollywood does wrong: they show scorpions out and about in the daylight. VERY uncommon, as the sunlight seems to bother them. Another nocturnal AZ critter, which if you do see you'd better eliminate. Also, we saw a skunk alongside a lake we were catfishing one night. It didn't look like the skunks I've seen here in Oregon. Spotted skunk, perhaps...? Didn't bother with it, tho', as we were in the back of my pal's pickup, and this one was UNscented at the time. Yeah, there are all kinds of unusual animals down there, and many of them you'll be very lucky to ever see. I DID see a beaded lizard once, but only once.

[PALADIN85020]

Great sighting! I've lived in Arizona most of my life, and I've never seen one in the wild, only in a zoo. Scorpions, on the other hand, are all over the place, and I've seen more than I ever care to. Been stung once - wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Oh, I take that back. This venue is not for discussing politics...

John

[Texas Star]

I'm a little concerned that a Gila Monster might bite a curious child or a sleeper who's flung out a hand as the lizard entered the same cave.

As for the Nile monitors in Florida, they eat pets and might well attack a child or anyone at all, if they felt cornered. The teeth and claws are very dangerous and they can give a nasty blow with their tails.

The even larger Komodo dragons even stalk and eat people and deer. And they sometimes hunt in packs! I hope they never get established here. They are native to a very few islands in Indonesia.

[rags]

jkc, Do you write for a living, or for fun? You're an easy read!! Nice stories!

rags

[jkc]

Originally Posted by rags24

jkc, Do you write for a living, or for fun? You're an easy read!! Nice stories!

rags

Thanks --- glad you enjoyed it. I quit my freelance writing work years ago --- it's underpaid, underappreciated, thankless work --- now I just write little things like this for fun.

[Texas Star]

Originally Posted by jkc

Thanks --- glad you enjoyed it. I quit my freelance writing work years ago --- it's underpaid, underappreciated, thankless work --- now I just write little things like this for fun.

Amen, brother! Been there, still doing that. I need the money, such as it is. I hope to finish and sell my first novel this year and make a little more from my talent and effort.

One worry is that books may be replaced by the Net. Blogs and whatnot...I hope it isn't true, as both a writer and a reader.

T-Star

[Engineer1911]

Another excellent example of a "Quality Story" posted on the S&W Forum. It's why we keep coming back.

Thank you

[LHS]

Originally Posted by jkc

Gila Monsters are pretty much dedicated to doing only two things --- eating, and copulating.

Some guys have all the fun.