Gila monsters are venomous lizards. Though the bite is rarely life-threatening to humans, it may cause pain, bleeding, nausea and vomiting.Β 

But before biting, the lizard will hiss, gape and back away. Even if a person approaches a Gila monster, the animal typically gives a warning before biting.Β 

Now and then someone is bitten. Usually it's a result of molesting or picking up a Gila monster, but a few people get bitten by inadvertently reaching under a rock or a porch where one of the lizards is taking shelter.

 Arizona Daily Star

SALT LAKE CITY β€” Utah lawmakers are considering a bill to designate the Gila monster as the state reptile.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Republican state Rep. Bill Lowry sponsored the legislation after prompting by students at Lava Ridge Intermediate School in Santa Clara, who conducted a science project on the large lizard.

The bill unanimously passed a vote taken in a legislative hearing Monday.

Utah already has a large number of reptiles designated among different state animal categories, including a state dinosaur and fossil.

The Gila has colorful, beadlike scales and a mild venom that can be used to make medicine.

The lizard is named for Arizona's Gila River, but it has a strong connection to the American Indian tribes of Utah.

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