Poisonous are only 2 species of lizards from the family of the gila living in the dry steppes and semi- Arizona and Mexico. One of these lizards - zhilate, or "Gila Monster", a fairly large reptile up to 60 cm with a beautiful orange-yellow or reddish-brown pattern. Other - eskorpion, even larger, body length of some specimens reaching nearly a meter.

Both gila day hiding in burrows and loose stones, preferring to nocturnal. At nightfall, they emerge from hiding and hunting for sedentary arthropods newborn rodents, chicks and birds' eggs. In the dry season, these lizards are hiding in caves, eating at the expense of fat stores deposited in the tail. The bites of these reptiles are very painful and act like a snake bite. For not too large animal poison zhilate and eskorpiona deadly in humans as it usually causes severe swelling, but sometimes can lead to death.

05.03.2007