﻿DANGEROUS 
  REPTILES 
  — 
  COCHRAN 
  287 
  

  

  economic 
  value. 
  The 
  depredations 
  of 
  rats, 
  mice, 
  moles, 
  and 
  gophers 
  

   are 
  certainly 
  controlled 
  by 
  the 
  rodent-eating 
  snakes, 
  and 
  such 
  snakes 
  

   even 
  if 
  poisonous 
  should 
  definitely 
  be 
  protected 
  in 
  any 
  agricultural 
  

  

  area. 
  

  

  The 
  Gila 
  Monstek 
  

  

  The 
  final 
  poisonous 
  reptile 
  under 
  consideration 
  is 
  the 
  Gila 
  monster 
  

   (Eeloderma 
  suspectum) 
  or 
  beaded 
  lizard, 
  occurring 
  from 
  the 
  southern 
  

   part 
  of 
  Utah 
  and 
  Nevada 
  through 
  Arizona 
  into 
  Sonora, 
  Mexico. 
  This 
  

   and 
  a 
  related 
  species 
  in 
  Mexico 
  are 
  the 
  only 
  known 
  poisonous 
  lizards. 
  

   The 
  Gila 
  monster 
  is 
  heavily 
  built 
  and 
  may 
  grow 
  to 
  2 
  feet 
  in 
  length, 
  

   of 
  which 
  over 
  one-third 
  consists 
  of 
  the 
  rounded 
  tail. 
  The 
  entire 
  

   animal 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  coarse 
  beadlike 
  scales, 
  salmon-red 
  and 
  black 
  in 
  

   color 
  and 
  forming 
  a 
  very 
  beautiful 
  blotched 
  pattern. 
  The 
  head 
  is 
  

   blunt 
  and 
  massive, 
  and 
  the 
  rather 
  small 
  legs 
  seem 
  inadequate 
  to 
  sup- 
  

   port 
  it. 
  In 
  the 
  warm 
  sun 
  the 
  lizard 
  can 
  become 
  very 
  active, 
  however, 
  

   and 
  can 
  move 
  about 
  with 
  surprising 
  agility. 
  The 
  clublike 
  tail 
  is 
  a 
  

   storage 
  place 
  for 
  fat. 
  When 
  the 
  lizard 
  has 
  been 
  getting 
  an 
  abundance 
  

   of 
  food, 
  the 
  tail 
  becomes 
  swollen 
  and 
  heavy. 
  In 
  time 
  of 
  starvation, 
  

   the 
  tail 
  shrinks 
  decidedly, 
  as 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  lizard 
  is 
  nourished 
  by 
  

   the 
  stored-up 
  fat. 
  The 
  food 
  consists 
  of 
  eggs 
  of 
  birds 
  and 
  reptiles 
  and 
  

   also 
  probably 
  any 
  small 
  animal 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  pick 
  up. 
  For 
  a 
  long 
  while 
  

   its 
  ability 
  to 
  poison 
  was 
  doubted. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  confirmation 
  of 
  its 
  poisonous 
  nature 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  established 
  by 
  the 
  

   discovery 
  of 
  grooved 
  teeth, 
  about 
  3-4 
  mm. 
  long, 
  four 
  on 
  either 
  branch 
  of 
  both 
  

   maxilla 
  and 
  mandibular. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  The 
  mandibular 
  appears 
  somewhat 
  swollen, 
  

   owing 
  to 
  the 
  projection 
  of 
  its 
  disproportionately 
  large, 
  elongated 
  submaxillary 
  

   glands, 
  whose 
  four 
  separate 
  ducts 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  above-described 
  grooved 
  

   teeth. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  The 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  teeth 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  glands 
  makes 
  us 
  under- 
  

   stand 
  why 
  opinions 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  poisonous 
  nature 
  of 
  heloderma 
  have 
  differed 
  so 
  

   widely. 
  When 
  an 
  animal 
  seizes 
  its 
  victim 
  only 
  with 
  the 
  front 
  teeth, 
  or 
  does 
  not 
  

   lie 
  on 
  its 
  back 
  while 
  biting, 
  none 
  or 
  very 
  little 
  of 
  the 
  buccal 
  secretion 
  may 
  enter 
  

   the 
  wound. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  T 
  

  

  The 
  Gila 
  monster 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  turn 
  over 
  on 
  its 
  back 
  when 
  it 
  is 
  biting, 
  

   and 
  after 
  it 
  has 
  once 
  taken 
  hold 
  it 
  chews 
  on 
  the 
  wound. 
  

  

  LATIN 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  While 
  most 
  tropical 
  countries 
  are 
  abundantly 
  supplied 
  with 
  poison- 
  

   ous 
  snakes, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  surprising 
  fact 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  totally 
  absent 
  on 
  nearly 
  

   all 
  the 
  large 
  and 
  small 
  islands 
  that 
  make 
  up 
  the 
  West 
  Indies. 
  On 
  

   Trinidad 
  and 
  Tobago, 
  allied 
  faunistically 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  geographically 
  to 
  

   the 
  mainland 
  of 
  South 
  America, 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  bushmaster, 
  a 
  typically 
  

   South 
  American 
  species, 
  and 
  the 
  coral 
  snake. 
  On 
  Martinique 
  and 
  St. 
  

   Lucia 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  Trinidad 
  the 
  fer-de-lance, 
  a 
  close 
  relative 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  7 
  Ditmars, 
  R. 
  L., 
  The 
  reptile 
  book, 
  p. 
  170, 
  1907. 
  

  

  