General: Banded Gila Monsters (Heloderma suspectus cinctum) are large, heavy bodied lizards with large, bead-like black and orange scales.

Taxonomy: Beaded Lizard Family (Helodermatidae).

Description: A large (total length: 45-60 cm [18-24 in.]), heavy bodied lizard with black, orange, pink, and yellow spots and crossbands on the dorsum. The scales on the dorsum are large, round, and bead-like, suggesting Indian beadwork. The tail is short, sausage-shaped, and banded. The tongue is black and forked, and it is flicked in and out like a snake. These lizards move on short legs with an awkward, lumbering gate.

People sometimes see Western Chuckwallas and think they are Gila Monsters, but Chuckwallas have small scales and usually are wide-bodied.

Diet: Feeds on eggs of birds and tortoises. Also eats small mammals (including nestling rabbits) and lizards.

Habitat: Mojave Desert Scrub, Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands, and desert riparian habitats (Upper Sonoran and Pinyon-Juniper life zones). Found on the lower slopes of rocky canyons, mesic flats, and flats with grassland or succulents. Uses rocks and burrows of other animals for cover.

Range: The species occurs in southern Nevada and adjacent southern California, extreme southwestern Utah, and southward through southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico into northwestern Mexico. This subspecies occurs in the northern portion of the species’ range and western Arizona, and it probably is widespread in Clark County on the lower slopes of mountain ranges, canyon bottoms, and washes, especially near water and damp areas. There are few observation records in Clark County, and the local distribution of this species is poorly known.