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Photo by Lynn Chamberlain
Photo Copyright Lynn Chamberlain
Gila Monster
Heloderma suspectum
NatureServe conservation status
Global (G-rank): G4
State (S-rank): S2
External links
Species range
(In Utah this species occurs only in southern Washington County. Coombs (1977?) commented: "Utah provides the most northern range for the gila monster. The Utah range is unique in that specific habitat types are most prefered. The red sandy areas around St. George, all part of the Virgin River system, provide the habitat ... for gila monsters." He mapped the range of the species in Utah as an irregular area including St. George, Washington, and Harrisburg Junction and extending northeast to Leeds, east to La Verkin and Hurricane, west to Santa Clara and Ivins, and south to within about half a mile of the Arizona boundary in two places (southeast and southwest of St. George). Schwinn and Minden (1980), however, mentioned "Beaver Dam Wash to Nevada state line", an area not included by Coombs in the Utah range of this species, as well as "Paradise Valley", an area emphasized by Coombs (which he called "Paradise Canyon") as having the highest population density of this species in the state. G. V. Oliver, 1996)
Habitat
Populations are irregularly distributed and localized, occurring in desert scrub habitats (Beck 1985, Coombs 1977). Dominant plant species in occupied areas include creosote bush (Larrea tridentata), sand sage (Artemisia filifolia), white bursage (Ambrosia dumosa), and blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) (Coombs 1977). Populations usually occur in rocky areas, using cavities in basalt and sandstone formations for shelters (Beck 1985).
Threats or limiting factors
(Coombs (1977?) stated: "The primary reasons for the decline of the gila monster [in Utah] are habitat encroachment by civilization and collecting. Universities are probably the primary source of gila monster depredation." G. V. Oliver, 1996)
