Details
Heloderma horridum
The Mexican beaded lizard is a venomous lizard of Neotropical forests and drylands. Diurnal and mostly solitary, it moves between ground foraging and refuges.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It uses dry forest, scrub, rocky country, and semi-arid habitats. Burrows and rock crevices are important shelters from heat.
Length is about 60-90 cm and weight about 1-4 kg. A dark body with yellow markings, bead-like scales, and a thick tail are characteristic.
It walks slowly by day in search of food and retreats during heat or dryness. Solitary animals use scent to locate nests and eggs.
It is carnivorous, eating bird and reptile eggs, nestlings, and small mammals. It has a venomous bite and strong jaws.
Females lay eggs underground. Young are patterned like adults and forage independently soon after emergence.
Its status is listed as Least Concern. As one of the few venomous lizards, it depends on the persistence of local dry forests and refuges.
