Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Every state has its own symbols that represent its unique values, culture and nature. Utah currently has everything from a state fish, bird and insect to a state dance, vegetable and rock. Now, the state has an official reptile, too.
The extremely elusive Gila monster was named Utah’s official state reptile after the passing of HB144. Twenty-nine states now have an official state reptile, according to the nonprofit State Symbols USA website.
These large and heavy lizards, named after the Gila River in New Mexico, can be found residing underground primarily in west-central Arizona, but they’re also native to Southwestern Utah, Nevada, New Mexico and parts of California, according to a news release from the Division of Wildlife Resources.
The Gila monster is marked by yellow, orange or pink bodies with black bands.
The most likely places to see a Gila monster in Utah include Snow Canyon State Park, designed trails in the Red Cliffs Reserve and the Bureau of Land Management recreation area. People are likely to see them during the daytime in April and May, and sometimes during warm summer nights June-August.
The rarely-seen lizards live 95 percent of their lives underground digesting food. They move at a very slow pace.
The Gila monster only needs to eat a few times a year since it can eat up to 33 percent of its body weight in just one meal. They usually live off of baby mammals and eggs they steal from nests. They can live for up to 25 years in the wild and even longer in captivity.
The Gila monster does have a venomous bite that can be deadly with large doses but has also been proven to be a leading drug to help treat type 2 diabetes. A peptide called exendin-4 from its venom can help to regulate blood sugar levels and maintain metabolism.
Although it moves slowly and isn't likely to chase people, its bites can be extremely painful. Nakisha Rigley is currently a Junior at Weber State University majoring in Public Relations and an intern as a news writer at KSL.com.
