220] 



Snakes and Frogs and Their Relatives 



THE ONLY POISONOUS LIZARD OF THE UNITED STATES 



The attractively colored Gila monster is large for a lizard about twenty inches 

 long or so. It lives in our southwestern desert lands, and has the useful trait of 

 being able to store food in its tail! The Gila monster moves sluggishly as a rule, 

 but strikes quickly when injecting its venom. It rarely bites, and its poison is not 

 fatal to humans. It lays its eggs in the sand, where the sun hatches them. 



original one through some mishap. The true chameleon, however, 

 lacks this regrowing ability. 



Alligators and Crocodiles 



A child is likely to see these giant reptiles only in zoos, for 

 their natural range in the United States is limited to the swamps 

 and lagoons of the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida west to Texas. 

 If he (or his parent) looks at these animals only casually, he is 

 sure to ask this natural question: 



" What's the difference between an alligator and a crocodile?" 



How Alligators and Crocodiles Differ: If you look closely, you 

 will quickly perceive a decided difference in the shape of the 

 snout. You will see that the alligator's snout is wide and more 

 rounded than that of the crocodile. 



There is also a difference in the teeth. In the case of the croco- 

 dile, the fourth tooth on either side of its lower jaw fits into 

 notches on the outside of the upper jaw so that even when its 



