MEXICAN BEADED LIZARD (HELODERMA HORRIDUM)
Mexican Beaded Lizard (scientific name is Heloderma Horridum) is the only lizard species in the world that possesses toxins that are dangerous to humans. The Mexican Beaded Lizard is divided into 4 different species, each with similar but not identical colors. They have a characteristic black color with white or yellow spots, and the scales have evenly spaced round nodules that look like beads.
The Mexican Beaded Lizard's diet consists of several types of meat such as young rabbits, frogs, birds, insects, earthworms, lizards, eggs (birds, snakes, lizards), rodents, and carcasses of dead animals. They often climb trees or use their limbs to dig deep into the ground in search of prey. During cold days, they usually feed during the day and they feed at night on hot days.
The Mexican Beaded Lizard has venom located in the salivary glands in the lower jaw. Unlike most other poisonous species, Mexican Beaded Lizard cannot inject poison into the victim but must cling to and chew to transmit venom-containing saliva into the body. The venom of this lizard is rarely fatal in humans, but it can cause respiratory failure and severe pain that lasts up to 24 hours.
Location: Mexico and southern Guatemala
Habitat: Thorny shrubland, tropical deciduous forest, desert.
Length: 57cm - 91cm.
Venom’s power: Sharp pain for 24 hours.
Toxins: Hemotoxin.
