I saw a Gila monster in the wild once. It certainly looked like I could just walk over and pick it up while it was dozing in the sun and it was stunningly beautiful, pictures don’t do the shimmering scales justice.
So I could see why someone would try to handle one.
As long as they lived under a rock and didn’t know that Gila Monsters are endangered and federally protected as well as being super dangerous. Their venom is pretty fatal and when they bite, they do not let go.
Not to mention that if you fuck around with one out this way, you are going to piss off the locals…many of whom play banjos.
It’s a really weird death. As the article says, generally not much venom is injected into the wound. Gila monsters don’t have fangs like snakes do, but grooved teeth in the lower jaw. Of more concern is that they grind that jaw to work the venom in deeper not only making for a grievous wound but likely infected – they don’t brush their teeth.
Let’s not get carried away. from Wiki: “Prior to this incident, no reports of fatalities had been confirmed after 1930”. Dangerous, yes, protected, si. Fatal, rarely. Feels like you’re going to die after being bit? Absolutely!
The Komodo dragon is the world’s largest living lizard. It’s a ferocious carnivore. It’s found on the steep-sloped island of Komodo in the lesser Sunda Chain of the Indonesian Archipelago and the nearby islands of Rinja, Padar, and Flores.
