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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
Mexican beaded lizard, beaded lizard |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Reptilia |
| ORDER: |
Squamata |
| FAMILY: |
Helodermatidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Heloderma (studded skin) horridum
(rough or horrible) exaspertatum (rough) |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
The stripes and spots (white to yellow in color)
on its black bumpy skin give this lizard a beaded
appearance and its name. It has a thick, fleshy
tail that is slightly shorter than the rest of the
body, and short powerful limbs. |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| SIZE: |
32.5-45 cm (13-18 in.) adult average length |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| WEIGHT: |
2.3-2.7 kg (5-6 lb.) adult average |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| DIET: |
Primarily
consists of eggs, young birds, mammals, and reptiles |
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| INCUBATION: |
28-30 days; young are able to survive without parental
support |
| CLUTCH
SIZE |
text |
| BREEDING
PERIOD |
text |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
2-3 years |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
In excess of 30 years |
| MALE |
text |
| FEMALE |
text |
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| RANGE: |
Southwestern United States; northern and southwestern
Mexico to northern Guatemala |
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| HABITAT: |
The lizard inhabits desert scrub and tropical thorn
woodlands. Beaded lizards spend as much as 98% of
their lives underground. |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
text |
| LOCAL |
text |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Vulnerable |
| CITES |
Appendix II |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
The Mexican beaded lizard and its close relative,
the gila monster (Heloderma suspectum), are
the only two venomous lizards in the world. They
possess venom glands in their lower jaws. The venom
is delivered by capillary action along grooved teeth.
In essence, they chew the venom into their prey.
There is no anti-venom for the beaded lizard bite. |
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| 2. |
While they are at home in the desert, beaded lizards
actually need a higher humidity than other desert
reptiles. |
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| 3. |
Although beaded lizards appear sluggish, they are
able to move rapidly when provoked. They can also
produce a hissing sound to warn off intruders. |
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| 4. |
When food is scarce, the lizard metabolizes fat
stored in its tail. |
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| 5. |
text |
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| 6. |
text |
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Beaded lizards play a pivotal role in the desert
ecology of the American southwest. By feeding on
the eggs or young of small desert inhabitants, beaded
lizards help control their populations. As with
any small carnivore, venomous or not, they are preyed
on extensively by larger predators. |
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Gotch, A.F. Reptiles, Their Latin Names Explained.
New York: Blandford Press, 1986.
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Mattison, Chris. Lizards of the World. New
York: Facts on File, Inc., 1989. |
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Rogner, Manfred. Lizards. Vol. 2. Malabar,
Florida: Krieger Publishing Co., 1994.
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