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Are there gila monsters in California?

Last checked November 3, 2026 against official sources.

On this page
  1. The answer
  2. Which ones
  3. Where in the US
  4. Lookalikes
  5. Sources

Yes.

Gila Monster is on the CDFW Complete List (2016); NPS states Gila Monsters are protected by state law in California and the other states where they occur.

CWHR Program: “Gila Monster Heloderma suspectum” Source

How we answer questions

On California's official list

Gila Monster
Photo: Matt Berger · CC BY 4.0 · iNaturalist

Gila Monster

Heloderma suspectum

Venomous per US National Park Service

Danger to people
“A Gila Monster bite is a serious and painful medical emergency and always calls for a trip to the Emergency Room.” US National Park Service
Size
NPS: up to 22 inches (560 mm) long and over a pound (450 g), the largest lizard in the United States. AZGFD: up to 14 inches from snout to vent. NDOW lists 18-24 inches and 2-4 lb.
How to recognize it
  • Hard, rounded, beadlike scales; dark forked tongue; short fat tail
  • Short, stout legs with long, sharp-clawed toes; big head and round tail
What the sources say

Venom: “Gila Monsters are venomous.” (US National Park Service)

Full Gila Monster guide

All lizards in the state: California lizards.

Where the Gila monster lives in the US

California: on the state's official listUtah: on the state's official listNevada: on the state's official listNew Mexico: on the state's official listArizona: on the state's official list
Official presence. 5 states where a state list or official source names it. Gray means no official record in our data, not that it is absent.
  • Native or listed
  • Nonnative or not established
  • No official record in our data
Utah: 5 recordsNevada: 5 recordsNew Mexico: 13 recordsArizona: 180 records
Observation records. Open-licence records on GBIF in 4 states. Records are sightings people shared, not confirmation that a population lives there.
  • 1–9
  • 10–99
  • 100–999
  • 1,000+

Gila monster: identification, range and danger

What else it could be

  • Western banded gecko
    Photo: Dylan C Thomas · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist

    Western banded gecko

    NPS says Gila monster hatchlings are sometimes confused with the banded gecko, a small, thin-skinned lizard. Hatchlings are much larger than an adult banded gecko.

When lizards are seen in California

35,219 records (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY).

Other questions about California

Sources

  1. Complete List of Amphibian, Reptile, Bird and Mammal Species in California. California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CWHR Program). 2016-05 (document dated "May, 2016"; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (1)
    “Gila Monster Heloderma suspectum”
  2. Gila Monster - Saguaro National Park. U.S. National Park Service. August 19, 2026; checked November 3, 2026.
    Quoted passages (3)
    “Gila Monsters are venomous.”
    “Short, stout legs possess long toes with sharp claws used in digging and climbing.”
    “A Gila Monster bite is a serious and painful medical emergency and always calls for a trip to the Emergency Room.”
  3. GBIF.org occurrence records, human observations licensed CC0 1.0 or CC BY 4.0 only, accessed November 3, 2026. The datasets behind these counts are listed on our Sources page.