Gila monster  (Heloderma suspectum)

Authenticated (15/7/03) by Kevin Buley. Curator of Lower Vertebrates and Invertebrates, Chester Zoo.
http://www.chesterzoo.org

• Hibernating: a winter survival strategy characteristic of some mammals in which an animal's metabolic rate slows down and a state of deep sleep is attained. Whilst hibernating, animals survive on stored reserves of fat that they have accumulated in summer. In insects, the correct term for hibernation is 'diapause', a temporary pause in development and growth. Any stage of the lifecycle (eggs, larvae, pupae or adults) may enter diapause, which is typically associated with winter.
• Subspecies: a population usually restricted to a geographical area that differs from other populations of the same species, but not to the extent of being classified as a separate species.

1. IUCN Red List (September, 2007)
   http://www.iucnredlist.org
2. American Museum of Natural History (April, 2003)
   http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/Endangered/gila/gila.html
3. Dr Seward's Gila Monster Site (April, 2003)
   http://www.drseward.com/
4. Gila Monster (April, 2003)
   http://www.gila-monster.org/
5. Fry, B.G., Vidal, N., Norman, J.A., Vonk, F.J., Scheib, H., Ramjan, S.F., Kuruppu, S., Fung, K., Hedges, S.B., Richardson, M.K., Hodgson, W.C., Ignjatovic, V., Summerhayes, R. and Kochva, E. (2006) Early evolution of the venom system in lizards and snakes. Nature, 439: 584 - 588.
6. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (April, 2003)
   http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/gila.html
7. Buley, K. (2003) Pers. comm.
8. Sedgwick County Zoo (April, 2003)
   http://www.scz.org/index.php
9. Tucson Herpetological Society (April, 2003)
   http://www.arts.arizona.edu/herp/HESU.html