I’m an Arizona local and I’ve had a few close encounters with gila monsters in the course of daily life. Can confirm they are ADORABLE and slow – and seem to have a knack for getting into some very odd places! Something I’ve always been curious about – their tails seem to be super chunky (only adding to the cuteness) compared to the slender tails I see on other lizards in the area. Why are they shaped like that?
Their tails are indeed super chunky, and that’s because they actually use them to store fat! That’s also why their tails aren’t detatchable like you’ll see in a lot of other snakes in the area. They don’t really need to outrun predators anyway, thanks to the venom, so the tail is instead used as valuable storage space for fat reserves.
Their close relatives, the beaded lizards, also store fat in their tails, although you’ll notice their tails are noticeably longer and not quite as chunky.
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