About Animal Facts Common Name: Beaded Lizard Scientific Name: Heloderma horridum Behavior: Solitary, males will fight for hours to win the opportunity to breed with a female. They go underground during the heat of the day. They appear sluggish when first coming out at night, but can move fast if needed. Lacking fangs, they must chew on their prey to inject it with their venom. Diet: Carnivore Weight: 5 lb Length: 2.5 ft Life Span: 30 yrs Gestation Period: 190 days Number of Young: 3-13 eggs Habitats: Desert Forest Rocky Areas Shrubland Fun Facts: Males are slightly larger than females. The beaded appearance comes from bones under the skin that act a bit like armor plating. Bites to humans are rarely fatal. If threatened, beaded lizards open their mouth wide and hiss before biting. When food is scarce, they rely on fat stores in their tail for energy. Threats: Habitat Loss Poaching / Over Consumption Endangered Status Endangered Status Extinct in Wild (EW) Critically Endangered (CR) Endangered (EN) Vulnerable (VU) Near Threatened (NT) Least Concern (LC) Not Evaluated (NE)
