Common Name: Mexican Beaded Lizard
Scientific Name: Heloderma horridum horridum

Kingdom: Animal
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Helodermatidae
Genus: Heloderma horridum
Species: Horridum

As the name suggests, the Mexican Beaded Lizard is found in Mexico, mostly along the pacific coast.

The Mexican Beaded Lizard prefers rocky, sparsely vegetated areas along subhumid tropics and arid areas.

Beaded lizards have a dark cylindrical body with yellow bands on the long thick tail. The head is wide and flat, and the legs are short and strong. There are small bumps or beads covering the entire body. There are venom glands in the lower jaw. An average sized adult is 36 inches long, and weighs 5 pounds.

Beaded lizards are primarily nocturnal and can climb, burrow and swim. They often escape the heat of the day in abandoned burrows, under rocks, or in tunnels they have dug themselves. They hunt for food year round using their venom, which is produced in glands along the lower jaw and transferred along grooved teeth. The venom is not injected into the blood stream of the victim, but is drawn in by capillary action as the lizard chews its prey.

The diet consists of small mammals, birds, lizards and eggs.

The breeding season occurs between February and March with the eggs being laid approximately two months later. The female buries the eggs in the sand in a sunny, damp area. The eggs incubate for six months.

The Mexican Beaded Lizard is one of only two types of venomous lizards; see also Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum).

The Mexican Beaded Lizard survives well in captivity and may even be handled. However, caution and respect for this lizard must be maintained because it can revert back to its aggressive temperament. Even though a bite from the Mexican Beaded Lizard is not usually life threatening to humans, the wound must still be medically treated.

The Mexican Beaded Lizard is listed under CITIES Appendix II. Slash and burn agriculture has led to habitat destruction and suffocation in their burrows. Mexican Beaded Lizards are often killed by humans due to the fear of their venom.

The tail is the longest portion of the lizard. When food is scarce, the Mexican Beaded Lizard can live off the fat stored in its tail. When they bite, they hold on with bulldog-like tenacity. Their jaws cannot be pried apart with bare hands.

The Buffalo Zoo

As the third oldest zoo in the United States, the Buffalo Zoo houses some of the world's most exotic and endangered wildlife. In collaboration with the Center for Applied Technologies in Education, the Buffalo Zoo has provided these animal profiles to offer a glimpse into the diversity of the Zoo’s collection.