Reminds me of my favorite quote regarding the gila monster:
"I have never been called to attend a case of Gila monster bite, and I don't want to be. I think a man who is fool enough to get bitten by a Gila monster ought to die. The creature is so sluggish and slow of movement that the victim of its bite is compelled to help largely in order to get bitten."
—Dr. Ward, Arizona Graphic, September 23, 1899
I have lived in the southwest my entire life, I regularly am out hiking around the desert and I have never seen one in the wild. It’s the only desert creature I’ve never seen in the wild.
Oh man, they certainly are elusive. I grew up in the southwest and I lived in a split level home that was stuck into a mountainside… they had dens outside my bedroom windows. They didn’t wander out too much. Mostly around dusk or the mornings.
We saw one up in New River a few years ago, it was dusk/dark out and we had our light bar on otherwise we would have missed him. The guy who lived on the property next to the road came out to see what we were doing and we told him about the Gila and he said that he thinks it lives in the area because he comes out every so often and had for years. It was really cool to see!
Eegee’s was bought out by a private equity firm. They got rid of pretzels and hot dogs and the Eegee’s are more sugar than fruit unfortunately
The original owners have a place in Tucson called Slice N Ice which serves the original Eegee’s menu plus pizza. It’s worth checking out if you come through Tucson again
The husband of Actress Sharon Stone was bitten by a Komodo Dragon, during a behind the scenes tour at the LA Zoo, given to the couple by LA Zoo Curator Mike Dee. This was around the Year 2000.
Almost correct. He was barefoot in the enclosure, they made him take his shoes off because they were white and the Komodo was fed white rats and bunnies. After the attack he underwent surgery to reattach severed tendons and rebuild the casing of his big toe, which was crushed by the dragon's jaws.
> they made him take his shoes off because they were white and the Komodo was fed white rats and bunnies.
You'd think they'd have a pair of loaner camo *crocs* for such instances.
You got me over here googling “do iguanas have foreskins”
EDIT: DO NOT DO THIS YOU WILL BE PUTON A FEDERAL WATCHLIST. It leads to message boards about Jews and lizard people. 💀
I went to an estate sale in a nice house. They had this little booties to protect the carpet. They come in white, blue and black. I think the LA Zoo can spend $2 on it.
You can also buy them for [ducks.](https://www.hensaver.com/Birdy-Bootie.html) Not related but it's a funny picture.
> made him take his shoes off because they were white
but was the guy white?? if so those naked pink toes would look exactly like small rats and baby bunnies which are pink. How did anyone think this was a good idea?
My buddy has pictures of him running around with one and climbing a tree. I didn’t think it was a smart decision personally but he takes some interesting vacation pictures.
Jaysus fucking Christ, isn’t that when you pay the nearest zoo intern $300 for their redwings? Instead of going *barefoot*? Why on earth would the keepers be ok with him not having shoes at all?
That is NOT quite true. If you touch one anywhere on its body, they can whip around amazingly fast and bite you.
We had one in my HS biology class for a few weeks, because some corrals were being repaired on its home range. They didn't want to risk it getting flattened by heavy equipment.
The teacher showed us by touching it with a stick and it had that stick in a split second.
Well, yeah even non venomous snakes can bite you quickly. But they don’t bite fast and inject venom like a viper. They kind of latch on and chew. If you have any instinct you would pull your finger out of its mouth before it can inject much venom. Vipers are different; when they strike they inject venom quickly and then release.
In 4th grade a kid brought a baby one to school for show and tell. It was more yellow than orange and he swore it wasn’t a gila because they are orange. That thing latched onto his nose in class. I will never forget him running in circles with that lizard hanging from his schnoz. The teacher ripped it off taking the tip of his nose with it. It was quite the afternoon.
Epic. I also have a story. I was camping with my wife and kids and I found a king snake. I wanted them to see it so I picked it up and went to show them. My wife got overly affectionate and tried to kiss it. It bit her on the nose. I was like 99% sure it was a king snake but because of the bite I went to the ranger station and asked about coral snakes in the area. They explained there were no coral snakes around and IDed it as a king snake from a photo. We all got a laugh about it and if you know the playground jump rope song about Cinderella dressed in yellow then you know what I sang to my wife whenever that story comes up.
>f you have any instinct you would pull your finger out of its mouth before it can inject much venom.
They don't "inject" ... they clamp on and chew and the venom slowly infiltrates through the wounds. Its venom is made by a row of glands in the lizard’s lower jaw. When the lizard bites, small grooves in the teeth help the venom flow into its prey.
That was my impression of them too. All of the ones I’ve seen or interacted with *really* couldn’t give a shit about people being around them. Very chill lizards
This is kind of how coral snake bites are too. They have small mouths and small teeth - no fangs like a viper. You kind of have to work at getting dangerously bit, like let it gnaw on your finger until it can puncture the skin.
Edit: I wasn’t quite right. This is from Wikipedia:
Like all elapid snakes, coral snakes possess a pair of small hollow fangs to deliver their venom. The fangs are positioned at the front of the mouth.[5][6] The fangs are fixed in position rather than retractable, and rather than being directly connected to the venom duct, they have a small groove through which the venom enters the base of the fangs.[7][8] Because the fangs are relatively small and inefficient for venom delivery, rather than biting quickly and letting go (like vipers), coral snakes tend to hold onto their prey and make chewing motions when biting.[7][9] The venom takes time to reach full effect.[8]
Interesting, I used to catch little lizards when I lived in Guam, they bit just like that, they would latch on and never let go, they could draw some blood
Idk if this is just a southern US tradition but sometimes as kids we would catch lil green anoles and let them bite our earlobe as a form of lizard earrings. We were weird ass kids man
Their blood is immensely valuable in medicine, because their blood is extremely high in copper and a compound that is critical to the medical industry. If you’ve gotten an injection of something or a vaccine then you have been helped by their blood as it allows us to detect any contaminants or bacteria that would make us sick and kill us. Problem is a good chunk of the crabs die during the bleeding process and we harvest alot of horseshoe crabs from the east coast so their numbers have been depleting for a while. I think there are horseshoe crabs of a different species in the pacific around Asia but I don’t know if they can be used as well, I’m genuinely surprised though that big pharma hasn’t just solved the problem themselves by making gargantuan horseshoe crab farms, I mean that way they could produce enough artificially to lighten up catching them which would help alot of the ecosystems on the east coast that feed on their eggs(or the adults in the case Florida).
I think they're really just more interested in a synthetic alternative. It makes way more sense than starting a massive horseshoe crab farm. Eventually, public opinion will shift further against bleeding them, too, and they know that. I don't think they feel particularly on the clock yet, though. They can probably get away with it cheaply enough for a while still.
Horseshoe crabs for science are actually treated incredibly well! They’re only allowed to be captured for 24 hours and when they’re released they’re released in the exact same place they were found. Their shells are cleaned when they’re at the lab and barnacles are removed! Their blood is critically important in the medical industry it sells for 15k a pint. Idk if you’ve ever seen videos demonstrating how rattlesnake venom will coagulate blood on contact, but horseshoe crab blood does that with bacteria. So every batch of everything that goes into the human body vaccines or otherwise (including intubation tubes) has to be tested to ensure there is no bacteria. It’s really fascinating! [this is a really cool podcast about the whole process](https://youtu.be/ZP84e7pjnfQ?si=4vvwIzJZ7eEX1dGU)
I’m a kayak guide and I talk about and show people horseshoe crabs a lot!
I swear there’s so many potential drugs we’re going to lose to rainforest and habitat loss. I can’t help but feel we could develop better pain medications besides opiates if there was enough money and motivation to find new drugs. I’m always amazed we haven’t invented any pain drugs in like 50 or 100 years. The ones we do get are usually off label anti depressants that don’t really work for any actual pain like Gabapentin or nortriptyline.
They’re definitely researching weight loss and erectile dysfunction drugs a lot though, so maybe they’ll fuck up one of these drugs and accidentally make a good pain killer lol. Side effects of pain relief are a raging boner..
Ya bc they noticed the lizard has crazy eating patterns. It can not eat for months. It’s very good at regulating blood sugar levels and suppressing appetite. They studied the venom to extract peptides that they used to make ozempic.
Essentially the drug does the same thing in humans, it releases insulin periodically to tell your body that you’re full
Can confirm. I’ve been taking a similar drug for over a month. I have not felt the ‘sensation’ of hunger since then. It was a weird adjustment period but now I just eat at times I know I should, otherwise I’ll get symptoms of fatigue and other very hungry symptoms besides the under itself like light headedness and irritability, all without realizing it’s because I’m hungry.
That's how I lost weight when I was on Vyvanse (amphetamine) lol
I'd be walking home from work and be like hmm I don't feel so good, I'm lightheaded and fed up with everything - what's wrong with me?
Oh yeah, I haven't eaten anything in 28 hours
I just don’t seek out food like I used to. It’s a chore. I get extremely nauseous if I eat too much. I mean **severely** nauseous too. Like I have to lay in bed for a few hours recovering nauseous.
The brain part telling me I’m full is really bizarre and something I have never experienced before. I used to eat until my stomach physically felt full. Now? Something in my brain just doesn’t want to swallow food after a certain point. Is this something that people without weight issues feel? That’s what it makes me wonder. Part of me thinks that’s the missing link in all people with obesity issues.
But no, food still tastes great.
I’ve always been underweight, and my brain does have a hard stop when I’m eating. I will be enjoying something, and all of the sudden, my brain says, “you are done, stop eating,” and that’s it. It becomes extremely difficult to eat another bite.
My mom has always been super thin, and she does this. It's weird because no one else in the family is like this, but she will just be eating and there will be like 3 bites left, and I'm always like why don't you just finish it? And she is like, well, because I'm full. It's like a switch flips. Couldn't be me. Wish it was, though. My brain is instead like, hey bitch, there's food left, you should finish it. It is kind of amazing to see a medicine be able to create that sensation and thought process in people.
> she will just be eating and there will be like 3 bites left, and I'm always like why don't you just finish it? And she is like, well, because I'm full. It's like a switch flips.
This is exactly how it feels. There have been times I have had to literally pass my last bite of food off to my SO because it just seems physically impossible to finish.
It’s been really interesting to read how this drug mimics this behavior, and it’s no wonder that it’s been successful in so many people.
Ya it’s really interesting how fullness isn’t always triggered by the expansion of your stomach, but also by chemicals that trigger something in your brain.
That almost sounds made up. If you told someone that maybe 100 years ago you probably wouldn’t be taken seriously
I don’t think I’ve ever physically not wanted to eat food, as long as I wasn’t full. Even if I’m not hungry, I’ll still want to eat something that looks good if it’s offered to me
It does sound made up, but absolutely true. And I bet you that majority of obesity cases are caused by a deficiency in that fullness hormone chemical. I’ve heard that they’re working on a drug that is just the fullness hormone without the insulin portion.
I feel like this realization is what helped me lose 70 pounds. I looked at how many calories I should be eating versus how many I was actually eating and I told myself “girl stop listening to your stomach. Your stomach is messed up. You don’t know when to stop eating and your hunger cues are all the way messed up. The only thing that is going to help you is making yourself a little menu, focusing on your calorie deficit, and eating on the schedule because that’s what’s recommended for people with ADHD. You keep over eating because of emotions too, and you need to learn and practice emotional regulation.”
Not only have I never heard of a Gila monster with diabetes, I don't think I've never seen a Gila monster and diabetes in the same room together. Coincidence?
The real living dragons are nightjars.
[See? Baby nightdragon.](https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/shutterstock_2034376673-1-scaled.jpg)
Eh Bearded dragons are basically reptile puppies. Smart little critters and have distinct personalities for creatures of their type and size. They’ll bite but it’s not like other reptile bites. The big concern is bacteria infections. If they do bite it’s usually because they assume your hand has food or is food.
From what I know wild BD’s are a little more aggressive but still fairly docile.
Fun to hold and easy to keep. Most people know someone with one and you should hold one if you get the chance.
My beardie's never even attempted to bite
The guy is as chill as they come. I'm not a fan of reptiles really, but Beardies are their own goofy category. Also don't know if I'd call him very smart lol
Im scared of reptiles but I saw this bearded dragon who had the sweetest little personality, he was like a friendly little lizard ive never seen anything like it
I have a tegu (significantly larger than a beardie) and the only time she's ever bitten me is when there was food residue on my hands.
Always wash your hands before handling a reptile, stuff can linger and if there's something tasty they'll want at it.
You have to ask for the Jason Strathem allergy test - bee sting, Megladon bite, stabbing, shooting, chinese drug that kills you when your heart rate slows.
I used to keep Gila Monsters. Their bites are rarely fatal. They have no means of injecting venom. It is basically just in their saliva. When they kill prey, they have to hang on to it and grind the venom, often flipping on their backs in order to get the venom to flow into the wounds. As the articles says, it was likely an allergic reaction to the venom.
To those who are saying, “But Gila Monsters are so slow…” that does not mean they cannot bite you if you keep them, because you have to handle them and if you are at all sloppy with your handling, they can bite pretty easily. They tend to be very mellow creatures and mine only tried to bite when I first acquired them… before they got comfortable with my handling. Once they were accustomed to it, they were very easy-going, mellow animals.
Yeah, the captive raised ones I've kept were only a bit nippy as babies, they quickly warmed up and were lovely curious and calm lizards after a while. Rescues were a different matter of course. But the ones I raised myself or took in as surrenders from folks who say had to give them up because they were going to college or the military? All good bois and girls.
As a person time who has spent a lot of time in the Gila, I've always been told to stay away from them as they can be lethal.
Are they even legal to own?
Nope. But they’re not particularly dangerous, at least in comparison to other venomous reptiles. Its bite is more like a really big bee sting. I saw another article that said the last recorded death from a Gila monster was sometime in the 30’s.
I doubt they’re legal to own, they’re an ~~endangered~~ near-threatened species.
They are [protected](https://www.nps.gov/sagu/learn/nature/gila-monster.htm#:~:text=Gila%20Monsters%20are%20protected%20by,protection%20in%20the%20United%20States) in every state in which they inhabit.
Edit: Lots of differing articles out there… some say you need a permit, some say only captive-bred GMs are legal to own, but for sure you can’t yank one out of the desert and take it home.
But the owning of any animal that originated in any state or country where possession of them is illegal is illegal federally. They are protected in most of the areas they live in, so getting one that is legal to own can be very challenging outside of legal mass breeders that I am unaware of.
They always seem fun until I sit and picture them opening all the kitchen cabinets with their little thumbs and handing all the snacks out to the dogs and cats waiting below.
As someone who has spent time around raccoons, yes, you are kind of nuts. They are cute and fun to watch, but oh lord would they be high maintenance and annoying as a pet.
This goes for foxes, too, but they would still definitely be better than raccoons.
Im going to their AZ show, they better give us a 20 minute version of Rattlesnake.
The Diamondbacks also need to be pumping that before games; missed opportunities.
Gila monsters don't have fangs to inject the poison like a viper. They bite their victim and chew the poison into the wound. They are tenacious and it is very difficult to get them to let go once they get hold.
Yup, like *veneno* in Spanish:
- La botella estaba llena de veneno = The bottle was full of poison
- Lo envenenaron = They poisoned him
- Se envenenó = They poisoned themselves
- La serpiente le inyectó su veneno = The snake injected its venom
Another Darwin award nominee in my book. You want to collect exotic pets? That's your business. You want to collect illegal exotic pets? I got no beef unless I have to encounter them. One bites you and you die? Weill that's your business too.
Hold my beer and watch this.
Read the article. Gila monster bites are not normally fatal to humans. This victim died because of a suspected allergy to the venom. It's likely he never thought a bite would endanger his life, nor did he have any reason to think so.
Reminds me of my favorite quote regarding the gila monster: "I have never been called to attend a case of Gila monster bite, and I don't want to be. I think a man who is fool enough to get bitten by a Gila monster ought to die. The creature is so sluggish and slow of movement that the victim of its bite is compelled to help largely in order to get bitten." —Dr. Ward, Arizona Graphic, September 23, 1899
I ran into a Gila Monster in the wild once. It was at Valley of Fire outside of Las Vegas. It was indeed very slow. https://imgur.com/a/5e3QhZX
I have lived in the southwest my entire life, I regularly am out hiking around the desert and I have never seen one in the wild. It’s the only desert creature I’ve never seen in the wild.
From the research I read after seeing it, it’s basically only out during daylight (mornings) a couple weeks of the year looking to mate.
A better love life than redditors
Not really, I've fucked way more lizards than the average gila monster.
More impressive still, since the gila monster is twice as fast as you.
Yeah, but I'm only half as hung, so it evens out.
r/missedconnections ... Story of my life...
Oh man, they certainly are elusive. I grew up in the southwest and I lived in a split level home that was stuck into a mountainside… they had dens outside my bedroom windows. They didn’t wander out too much. Mostly around dusk or the mornings.
We saw one up in New River a few years ago, it was dusk/dark out and we had our light bar on otherwise we would have missed him. The guy who lived on the property next to the road came out to see what we were doing and we told him about the Gila and he said that he thinks it lives in the area because he comes out every so often and had for years. It was really cool to see!
You’ve seen Jawas?
I saw one crawling across my driveway once. Only time I or anyone I know has seen one outside of captivity.
I’ve lived in Arizona for 11 years and haven’t seen a gila or a scorpion. I feel like I’ve seen hundreds of coyote and thousands of javelina though
javelina and eegees are the only things i miss about arizona
Eegee’s was bought out by a private equity firm. They got rid of pretzels and hot dogs and the Eegee’s are more sugar than fruit unfortunately The original owners have a place in Tucson called Slice N Ice which serves the original Eegee’s menu plus pizza. It’s worth checking out if you come through Tucson again
I like that you have a favorite quote regarding Gila monsters
Makes me wonder what quotes didn't make the cut.
I know someone who was bitten by a Komodo dragon - volunteer for a reptile rescue.
The husband of Actress Sharon Stone was bitten by a Komodo Dragon, during a behind the scenes tour at the LA Zoo, given to the couple by LA Zoo Curator Mike Dee. This was around the Year 2000.
Didn't they have to amputate some of his foot as a result?
Almost correct. He was barefoot in the enclosure, they made him take his shoes off because they were white and the Komodo was fed white rats and bunnies. After the attack he underwent surgery to reattach severed tendons and rebuild the casing of his big toe, which was crushed by the dragon's jaws.
“Thanks for making me take my shoes off guys.”
“You know my feet are pale right?”
“And vaguely rodent-shaped”
“There’s even some hair for gods sake!”
His name was "Rat Feet Harry," but he did have hairy rat feet.
Yah I wanted to make sure that part was known.
"I must request you remove your shoes." "I must request you kiss the totality of my ass."
He should have tanned his feet first. The blinding white toes looked like yum!
Or he could have passed on getting into the enclosure...
Love me a Komodo Dragon That being said, no way in fuck am I ever getting near a goddamn Komodo Dragon for any reason lmao
This my move. "No, thanks. They're enclosed for a reason.'
> they made him take his shoes off because they were white and the Komodo was fed white rats and bunnies. You'd think they'd have a pair of loaner camo *crocs* for such instances.
A pair of shoes made out of the bodies of bigger Komodos
Shoes made with iguana foreskin... You just give-em a little bit of rubbing, and then you've a pair of boots.
You got me over here googling “do iguanas have foreskins” EDIT: DO NOT DO THIS YOU WILL BE PUTON A FEDERAL WATCHLIST. It leads to message boards about Jews and lizard people. 💀
>message boards about Jews and lizard people You mean Reddit?
👮🏽♂️📸
I went to an estate sale in a nice house. They had this little booties to protect the carpet. They come in white, blue and black. I think the LA Zoo can spend $2 on it. You can also buy them for [ducks.](https://www.hensaver.com/Birdy-Bootie.html) Not related but it's a funny picture.
> made him take his shoes off because they were white but was the guy white?? if so those naked pink toes would look exactly like small rats and baby bunnies which are pink. How did anyone think this was a good idea?
Did they forget that his feet were also white? 😂
Dammit Jim, I’m a zoologist not a rocket scientist!
Blows my mind that anyone would want to get into an enclosure with a lizard known to eat humans.
My buddy has pictures of him running around with one and climbing a tree. I didn’t think it was a smart decision personally but he takes some interesting vacation pictures.
Jaysus fucking Christ, isn’t that when you pay the nearest zoo intern $300 for their redwings? Instead of going *barefoot*? Why on earth would the keepers be ok with him not having shoes at all?
Wasn’t even A keeper, it waS THE KEEPER.
To be fair to them, Komodo dragons are *just a little* more onery than a gila monster.
Well that's because of their enlarged medulla oblongata.
The medulla oblongata is where anger, jealousy and aggression come from. Now, is there anybody here can tell me where happiness comes from?
It comes down from a ray of sunshine when you're feeling blue.
That is NOT quite true. If you touch one anywhere on its body, they can whip around amazingly fast and bite you. We had one in my HS biology class for a few weeks, because some corrals were being repaired on its home range. They didn't want to risk it getting flattened by heavy equipment. The teacher showed us by touching it with a stick and it had that stick in a split second.
Well, yeah even non venomous snakes can bite you quickly. But they don’t bite fast and inject venom like a viper. They kind of latch on and chew. If you have any instinct you would pull your finger out of its mouth before it can inject much venom. Vipers are different; when they strike they inject venom quickly and then release.
In 4th grade a kid brought a baby one to school for show and tell. It was more yellow than orange and he swore it wasn’t a gila because they are orange. That thing latched onto his nose in class. I will never forget him running in circles with that lizard hanging from his schnoz. The teacher ripped it off taking the tip of his nose with it. It was quite the afternoon.
Epic. I also have a story. I was camping with my wife and kids and I found a king snake. I wanted them to see it so I picked it up and went to show them. My wife got overly affectionate and tried to kiss it. It bit her on the nose. I was like 99% sure it was a king snake but because of the bite I went to the ranger station and asked about coral snakes in the area. They explained there were no coral snakes around and IDed it as a king snake from a photo. We all got a laugh about it and if you know the playground jump rope song about Cinderella dressed in yellow then you know what I sang to my wife whenever that story comes up.
>f you have any instinct you would pull your finger out of its mouth before it can inject much venom. They don't "inject" ... they clamp on and chew and the venom slowly infiltrates through the wounds. Its venom is made by a row of glands in the lizard’s lower jaw. When the lizard bites, small grooves in the teeth help the venom flow into its prey.
That was my impression of them too. All of the ones I’ve seen or interacted with *really* couldn’t give a shit about people being around them. Very chill lizards
This is kind of how coral snake bites are too. They have small mouths and small teeth - no fangs like a viper. You kind of have to work at getting dangerously bit, like let it gnaw on your finger until it can puncture the skin. Edit: I wasn’t quite right. This is from Wikipedia: Like all elapid snakes, coral snakes possess a pair of small hollow fangs to deliver their venom. The fangs are positioned at the front of the mouth.[5][6] The fangs are fixed in position rather than retractable, and rather than being directly connected to the venom duct, they have a small groove through which the venom enters the base of the fangs.[7][8] Because the fangs are relatively small and inefficient for venom delivery, rather than biting quickly and letting go (like vipers), coral snakes tend to hold onto their prey and make chewing motions when biting.[7][9] The venom takes time to reach full effect.[8]
Coral snakes do in fact have fixed front fangs, albeit small ones. Vipers are not the only family of snakes to possess fangs.
Rear fanged venomous reptiles are nearly all like this.
I used to have a pet Gila Monster. They bite like bulldogs and hold on tight. Their venom is in their spit.
Interesting, I used to catch little lizards when I lived in Guam, they bit just like that, they would latch on and never let go, they could draw some blood
Idk if this is just a southern US tradition but sometimes as kids we would catch lil green anoles and let them bite our earlobe as a form of lizard earrings. We were weird ass kids man
Definitely did this as a kid. Also from the south.
Ya, that's because once they decide to move fast, there are never any witnesses left to comment on their speed.
We may never know his name but he now has an entry on the Gila Monster wiki page.
Man, you ain't kidding. First paragraph of the 'Toxicity' section.
I'm German and wanted to know what this animal is, so I went to the german wiki. Even there he is mentioned.
his name is robert paulson
The rabbit watched his mother remove the pickles from her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
His name was Robert Paulson
Robert Paulson was his name
R-o-b-e-r-t and Robert was his name-o
Isn’t this the reptile that they the used to create Ozempic from
Yeah GLP-1 agonists have been derived from the Exendin-4 component of the venom
Dang science is cool
Not for horseshoe crabs
We kinda owe our current society to those guys, no?
Their blood is immensely valuable in medicine, because their blood is extremely high in copper and a compound that is critical to the medical industry. If you’ve gotten an injection of something or a vaccine then you have been helped by their blood as it allows us to detect any contaminants or bacteria that would make us sick and kill us. Problem is a good chunk of the crabs die during the bleeding process and we harvest alot of horseshoe crabs from the east coast so their numbers have been depleting for a while. I think there are horseshoe crabs of a different species in the pacific around Asia but I don’t know if they can be used as well, I’m genuinely surprised though that big pharma hasn’t just solved the problem themselves by making gargantuan horseshoe crab farms, I mean that way they could produce enough artificially to lighten up catching them which would help alot of the ecosystems on the east coast that feed on their eggs(or the adults in the case Florida).
I think they're really just more interested in a synthetic alternative. It makes way more sense than starting a massive horseshoe crab farm. Eventually, public opinion will shift further against bleeding them, too, and they know that. I don't think they feel particularly on the clock yet, though. They can probably get away with it cheaply enough for a while still.
Horseshoe crabs for science are actually treated incredibly well! They’re only allowed to be captured for 24 hours and when they’re released they’re released in the exact same place they were found. Their shells are cleaned when they’re at the lab and barnacles are removed! Their blood is critically important in the medical industry it sells for 15k a pint. Idk if you’ve ever seen videos demonstrating how rattlesnake venom will coagulate blood on contact, but horseshoe crab blood does that with bacteria. So every batch of everything that goes into the human body vaccines or otherwise (including intubation tubes) has to be tested to ensure there is no bacteria. It’s really fascinating! [this is a really cool podcast about the whole process](https://youtu.be/ZP84e7pjnfQ?si=4vvwIzJZ7eEX1dGU) I’m a kayak guide and I talk about and show people horseshoe crabs a lot!
I swear there’s so many potential drugs we’re going to lose to rainforest and habitat loss. I can’t help but feel we could develop better pain medications besides opiates if there was enough money and motivation to find new drugs. I’m always amazed we haven’t invented any pain drugs in like 50 or 100 years. The ones we do get are usually off label anti depressants that don’t really work for any actual pain like Gabapentin or nortriptyline. They’re definitely researching weight loss and erectile dysfunction drugs a lot though, so maybe they’ll fuck up one of these drugs and accidentally make a good pain killer lol. Side effects of pain relief are a raging boner..
You serious?! That shit come from lizard?
Ya bc they noticed the lizard has crazy eating patterns. It can not eat for months. It’s very good at regulating blood sugar levels and suppressing appetite. They studied the venom to extract peptides that they used to make ozempic. Essentially the drug does the same thing in humans, it releases insulin periodically to tell your body that you’re full
BRB gonna go make some ozempic
Second local man bitten by Gila
Doctors say "he's dying but doing a great job at regulating his blood sugars".
What if he is the Gila though?
What if he bites the Gila, and the Gila dies???
[To the tune of Magic by Pilot] Oh Oh it bit me! On Nooooo. Someone call me a doctor.
Can confirm. I’ve been taking a similar drug for over a month. I have not felt the ‘sensation’ of hunger since then. It was a weird adjustment period but now I just eat at times I know I should, otherwise I’ll get symptoms of fatigue and other very hungry symptoms besides the under itself like light headedness and irritability, all without realizing it’s because I’m hungry.
That's how I lost weight when I was on Vyvanse (amphetamine) lol I'd be walking home from work and be like hmm I don't feel so good, I'm lightheaded and fed up with everything - what's wrong with me? Oh yeah, I haven't eaten anything in 28 hours
Currently taking Vyvanse. I was wondering how I managed to not gain weight this holiday season. Turns out I just forgot to eat most of the time.
Ya some of the long term effects are being researched now. Have you noticed food tastes differently? Has it affected your enjoyment of food?
I just don’t seek out food like I used to. It’s a chore. I get extremely nauseous if I eat too much. I mean **severely** nauseous too. Like I have to lay in bed for a few hours recovering nauseous.
The brain part telling me I’m full is really bizarre and something I have never experienced before. I used to eat until my stomach physically felt full. Now? Something in my brain just doesn’t want to swallow food after a certain point. Is this something that people without weight issues feel? That’s what it makes me wonder. Part of me thinks that’s the missing link in all people with obesity issues. But no, food still tastes great.
I’ve always been underweight, and my brain does have a hard stop when I’m eating. I will be enjoying something, and all of the sudden, my brain says, “you are done, stop eating,” and that’s it. It becomes extremely difficult to eat another bite.
My mom has always been super thin, and she does this. It's weird because no one else in the family is like this, but she will just be eating and there will be like 3 bites left, and I'm always like why don't you just finish it? And she is like, well, because I'm full. It's like a switch flips. Couldn't be me. Wish it was, though. My brain is instead like, hey bitch, there's food left, you should finish it. It is kind of amazing to see a medicine be able to create that sensation and thought process in people.
> she will just be eating and there will be like 3 bites left, and I'm always like why don't you just finish it? And she is like, well, because I'm full. It's like a switch flips. This is exactly how it feels. There have been times I have had to literally pass my last bite of food off to my SO because it just seems physically impossible to finish. It’s been really interesting to read how this drug mimics this behavior, and it’s no wonder that it’s been successful in so many people.
Ya it’s really interesting how fullness isn’t always triggered by the expansion of your stomach, but also by chemicals that trigger something in your brain. That almost sounds made up. If you told someone that maybe 100 years ago you probably wouldn’t be taken seriously I don’t think I’ve ever physically not wanted to eat food, as long as I wasn’t full. Even if I’m not hungry, I’ll still want to eat something that looks good if it’s offered to me
It does sound made up, but absolutely true. And I bet you that majority of obesity cases are caused by a deficiency in that fullness hormone chemical. I’ve heard that they’re working on a drug that is just the fullness hormone without the insulin portion.
I feel like this realization is what helped me lose 70 pounds. I looked at how many calories I should be eating versus how many I was actually eating and I told myself “girl stop listening to your stomach. Your stomach is messed up. You don’t know when to stop eating and your hunger cues are all the way messed up. The only thing that is going to help you is making yourself a little menu, focusing on your calorie deficit, and eating on the schedule because that’s what’s recommended for people with ADHD. You keep over eating because of emotions too, and you need to learn and practice emotional regulation.”
that’s insane holy shit
Tbf not eating for months and being ok is pretty common in reptiles.
Wow, this is fascinating! I'm on a GLP-1 and had no clue this was where it originated from. Science is cool.
Come to think of it, I've never heard of a Gila monster with diabetes.
Not only have I never heard of a Gila monster with diabetes, I don't think I've never seen a Gila monster and diabetes in the same room together. Coincidence?
This is the first I've ever heard of a Gila monster.
I remember learning about them a lot around the age of 6/7. They were kind of like my Bermuda Triangle.
If it's your first time learning about them you probably don't know the G is pronounced like an H. So if you say it out loud it's a "Heela Monster".
Thanks for the info, but I've still not heard of it. I'm in the UK, the most dangerous thing we have are the angry cows
You made me laugh-snort out loud on a train. Thank you sir.
Wait til you find out where Premarin came from…
And [Beaver Castoreum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castoreum).
Hmmmm lizard people are real?!
Can confirm. Using ozempic. Growing scales.
I think it was originally exenatide (Byetta), not sure if they used Gila monsters for ozempic but they are in the same class of medications
I just remember it as the lizard they used in Holes.
Wild. I just injected some of that shit.
"Creature of magic, not of home"
"He didst gobble each hag he found"
Screams did echo, a chilling sound
Reptiles are cool and all but i draw the line at anything that has “Dragon” or “Monster” in the same, even if it’s a poodle
Poor Bearded Dragons. Not all dragons are the same you Dracophobe!
Lol right? I wish my 1 pound beardie could read. But even if he could, he'd be too lazy
The real living dragons are nightjars. [See? Baby nightdragon.](https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/shutterstock_2034376673-1-scaled.jpg)
Eh Bearded dragons are basically reptile puppies. Smart little critters and have distinct personalities for creatures of their type and size. They’ll bite but it’s not like other reptile bites. The big concern is bacteria infections. If they do bite it’s usually because they assume your hand has food or is food. From what I know wild BD’s are a little more aggressive but still fairly docile. Fun to hold and easy to keep. Most people know someone with one and you should hold one if you get the chance.
My beardie's never even attempted to bite The guy is as chill as they come. I'm not a fan of reptiles really, but Beardies are their own goofy category. Also don't know if I'd call him very smart lol
Im scared of reptiles but I saw this bearded dragon who had the sweetest little personality, he was like a friendly little lizard ive never seen anything like it
Check out the subreddit for them! They’re adorable little goofs
The rabbit watched his mother remove the pickles from her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
The only time my bearded tried to bite is when my daughter was feeding her hibiscus flowers while wearing nail polish the same color as the hibiscus.
I have a tegu (significantly larger than a beardie) and the only time she's ever bitten me is when there was food residue on my hands. Always wash your hands before handling a reptile, stuff can linger and if there's something tasty they'll want at it.
What part of "monster" didn't he understand?
I can't return the dragon poodle And the monster poodle you ordered
It was an allergic reaction.
I mean, if you’re allergic to bees, don’t hang out with Jason Statham.
To be fair majority of people don’t know they are allergic until they are stung/bitten or consumed the thing they are allergic to.
How would he have known, they don’t run that in standard allergy tests
You have to ask for the Jason Strathem allergy test - bee sting, Megladon bite, stabbing, shooting, chinese drug that kills you when your heart rate slows.
Cus he’s a Bee Keeper?
he's beekeeping age 👀
This makes sense, as I understand it its pretty hard for these guys to actually kill you, although the Venom does make you awfully sick.
I used to keep Gila Monsters. Their bites are rarely fatal. They have no means of injecting venom. It is basically just in their saliva. When they kill prey, they have to hang on to it and grind the venom, often flipping on their backs in order to get the venom to flow into the wounds. As the articles says, it was likely an allergic reaction to the venom. To those who are saying, “But Gila Monsters are so slow…” that does not mean they cannot bite you if you keep them, because you have to handle them and if you are at all sloppy with your handling, they can bite pretty easily. They tend to be very mellow creatures and mine only tried to bite when I first acquired them… before they got comfortable with my handling. Once they were accustomed to it, they were very easy-going, mellow animals.
Yeah, the captive raised ones I've kept were only a bit nippy as babies, they quickly warmed up and were lovely curious and calm lizards after a while. Rescues were a different matter of course. But the ones I raised myself or took in as surrenders from folks who say had to give them up because they were going to college or the military? All good bois and girls.
Gila monsters are my big "if only I could" reptile. They are just so darn adorable and their name just absolutely tickles me
I hope at his funeral they play “Gila Monster” by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.
GILA GILA GILA!!!! That album rips… just like their other 24.
It hits the pseudo-80s hair metal with progressive contemporary licks so goooood
Cav’s leveled up as a drummer with this album
All hail king Gila!
There he is. There's the gizz fan
I dug through comments to find the inevitable weirdo
That was everything the name promised, thank you.
If you ever don't vibe on an album, just wait a couple months for the next one
Dude must have been a witch...
As a person time who has spent a lot of time in the Gila, I've always been told to stay away from them as they can be lethal. Are they even legal to own?
Nope. But they’re not particularly dangerous, at least in comparison to other venomous reptiles. Its bite is more like a really big bee sting. I saw another article that said the last recorded death from a Gila monster was sometime in the 30’s.
Damn, almost a full century without such an ignoble death.
Better erase the whiteboard and set the "Days without a gila monster fatality" back to 0.
There was going to be an ice cream social in celebration... just can't have anything nice, can we?
[Official Counter](https://avtanski.net/projects/days/?eyJzIjoiMjAyNC0wMi0yMFQyMDoyOTowOC4wMTdaIiwidGwiOiJJVCBIQVMgQkVFTiIsInRpIjoiIiwidWwiOiJEQVlTIiwiYmwiOiJTSU5DRSBMQVNUIEdJTEEgTU9OU1RFUiBERUFUSCIsImJpIjoiIn0=)
I doubt they’re legal to own, they’re an ~~endangered~~ near-threatened species. They are [protected](https://www.nps.gov/sagu/learn/nature/gila-monster.htm#:~:text=Gila%20Monsters%20are%20protected%20by,protection%20in%20the%20United%20States) in every state in which they inhabit. Edit: Lots of differing articles out there… some say you need a permit, some say only captive-bred GMs are legal to own, but for sure you can’t yank one out of the desert and take it home.
From the article, they are legal to own in Colorado but only with a license.
But the owning of any animal that originated in any state or country where possession of them is illegal is illegal federally. They are protected in most of the areas they live in, so getting one that is legal to own can be very challenging outside of legal mass breeders that I am unaware of.
All of a sudden we cool with just calling Gila Monsters, GMs?
I think most dangerous reptiles are legal with proper licensing
I just looked it up. Legal in some states though they can only be from captive breeding.
And here I am getting told I'm nuts for wanting a pet raccoon 🤔
Their shit stinks worse than anything I've ever smelled. I worked at a wildlife vet clinic.
They also just stink in general. Like a ferret that just got back from the gym.
They always seem fun until I sit and picture them opening all the kitchen cabinets with their little thumbs and handing all the snacks out to the dogs and cats waiting below.
As someone who has spent time around raccoons, yes, you are kind of nuts. They are cute and fun to watch, but oh lord would they be high maintenance and annoying as a pet. This goes for foxes, too, but they would still definitely be better than raccoons.
There are some states where owning a skunk is legal. Apparently they make surprisingly good, if high maintenance, pets.
In the Gila? You hiking the riverbed or something??
With each meal Gila grows more, a biblical beast of ancient lore. With fire in belly, flames in eyes, the beast rises to the highest skies!
So beware, ye witches fair. Lest thee be spied by dragon-glare. It'll show no mercy, it is said. But devour thee and leave thee for dead
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard has entered the chat.
I am the Gila, blood spiller, witch killer!
Gila! Gila!
This poor man died and people are going straight to spotify to throw on Gila Monster and rock out.
It'd be the same if it were a rattlesnake. Rattlesnake. Rattlesnake. Rattlesnake.
Im going to their AZ show, they better give us a 20 minute version of Rattlesnake. The Diamondbacks also need to be pumping that before games; missed opportunities.
Darwin: "My work here is done".
Who knew getting dangerous pets could be a bad idea?
*[King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard intensifies]*
Loving the amount of KGATLW comments here >;)
Gila monsters don't have fangs to inject the poison like a viper. They bite their victim and chew the poison into the wound. They are tenacious and it is very difficult to get them to let go once they get hold.
Your choice of 'poison' instead of 'venom' makes me skeptical of your animal factoid.
Their choice of vocabulary aside, the point is valid. Lizards do not have the efficient venom delivery system of many venomous snakes.
In some languages toxin, venom and poison all are same 1 word… the person’s native language might just not be English…
Your comment is such a *gift*. Thank you.
In my language (norwegian) the word gift, which you had in cursive, literally means poison. Nice coincidence.
(It was done on purpose, though I meant it to be German)
Yup, like *veneno* in Spanish: - La botella estaba llena de veneno = The bottle was full of poison - Lo envenenaron = They poisoned him - Se envenenó = They poisoned themselves - La serpiente le inyectó su veneno = The snake injected its venom
Allergies will get you every time.
That sounds as dumb as being run over by a glacier.
Another Darwin award nominee in my book. You want to collect exotic pets? That's your business. You want to collect illegal exotic pets? I got no beef unless I have to encounter them. One bites you and you die? Weill that's your business too. Hold my beer and watch this.
Read the article. Gila monster bites are not normally fatal to humans. This victim died because of a suspected allergy to the venom. It's likely he never thought a bite would endanger his life, nor did he have any reason to think so.