This photo comes from www.mongabay.com. It shows Dr. Tim Georoff, a vet at the Bronx Zoo (where Andrew and I were raised) x-raying a Gila monster to see if she's with child (or in this case with a bunch of eggs).
Dr. Georoff has put the Gila monster into the Plexiglass box to protect himself from the reptile's deadly, neurotoxic venom, found in the creature's teeth and saliva. According to mongabay.com Gila monsters inject the venom into their pray "through grooves in the teeth of [their] lower jaw[s]."
Bombarding unborn, reptile babies with x-ray radiation, hmm......Isn't that the first scene in Godzilla?
Life Science
Medicine & Health
Comments
Hey, you might pray if it bit you, but you'd be it's prey.
Posted by: Suna | November 29, 2007 1:22 PM
Oh wow she's pretty. My dad has seen two in his life time here in AZ, but I've only seen them at the Desert Museum. They are such exotic creatures and so pretty. I'm glad I get to see them, but I was wondering one thing about them. I know most toxic animals have a bright color signally so to other creatures. My question is, if most animals in the canine and feline species are color blind, how do they see the reddish orange of the Gila monster? I've also wondered this about them seeing other types of animals too.
Jenn
Posted by: Jenn | December 23, 2008 11:18 PM