How to Get Saliva From a Gila Monster

Gila monsters certainly are striking, with their black-and-orange pebbly hides. But like many brightly colored animals in nature, their appearance serves as a warning to would-be predators. Gila monsters are one of only two species of venomous lizards. They are native to southwestern North America. The hormone exendin-4 in their venom has been proved useful for controlling blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes.

Things You'll Need

  • Assistant
  • 10-inch hemostats
  • 4-inch piece of 1-inch-thick rubber tubing
  • Funnel
  • Collection jar
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Instructions

  1. Holding the Monster

    • 1

      Grasp the gila monster behind the head with one hand. Hold the neck tightly, so it can't squirm away or turn around and bite.

    • 2

      Grab the body just in front of the hind legs.

    • 3

      Hold the gila monster with the head pointed away from you.

    Extracting the Saliva

    • 4

      Place a funnel and a collection jar on a hard surface. Hold the gila monster's head over the funnel.

    • 5

      Pinch a 4-inch piece of 1-inch-thick rubber tubing in a pair of 10-inch hemostats. Rub the side of the tubing against the end of the gila monster's snout so that it opens its mouth to bite the tubing. Let it bite down on the tubing and start chewing. The venom glands are in the bottom jaw and do not have any dedicated muscles to constrict them, so the lizard must chew to get the venom flowing. If it doesn't chew right away, try rubbing the back of the jaw.

    • 6

      Tilt the gila monster's head and body so the saliva runs down the tubing and into the funnel and collection jar. Gila monsters do not have teeth capable of injecting venom, so the saliva runs down the outside of the tubing.

    • 7

      Pull the tubing away from the lizard's mouth when you are done collecting the saliva.

    • 8

      Place the lizard back in its cage. Release the hind legs first and then the head.