The Gila Monster, Heloderma suspectum occurs from  southwest Utah to southern Sonora and northern Sinaloa;  southwest New Mexico to southern Nevada and just into California.

The northern form is the Banded gila monster and the southern form is the Reticulate gila monster.

The Gila monster is the largest lizard native to the United States. They are a stout lizard with an elongated body, short limbs and a thick tail.

The skin of the Gila monster has a "beadwork" appearance made up of individual rounded, raised scales. Embedded within the scales covering the body are osteoderms or small boney plates.

The dorsal coloration of the Gila monster is black contrasted with pink or orange. In the southern variation, the reticulate Gila monster, the light markings are broken up to form a reticulated pattern. In the northern variation, the banded Gila monster, the light markings generally form an unbroken band across the back.