The desert-dwelling Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) is the United States' largest and only native venomous lizard. Easily recognisable from its spotted orange-and-black skin, its bright armour ...

The Gila monster, which is native to the deserts of North America, can survive on just a few meals a year, thanks to a digestion-slowing hormone in its venom. The discovery of this hormone paved ...