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)