He is a squat lizard, some 19 inches long from his round snout to the tip of his fat tail and he wears a coat embroidered with beady blotches of black and red or yellow. His bite is primed with pabon to kill the snakes on which he feeds but he does not bother to bite people unless he feels threatened. The Gila monster does not rate as real monster in size and, unless provoked, he is not a monstrous character.

The Gila, pronounced Heela, monster enjoys life in the sunny deserts of Arizona around the Gila river   which is also pronounced Heela,