Reptiles of Saguaro National Park
The 3 reptiles you can find at Saguaro National Park, like the Gila monster — sizes, diets, and whether you should worry.
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Reptile Gila monster
Heloderma suspectum
A slow, heavy desert lizard covered in bead-like black and orange scales, one of the only venomous lizards in the U.S., found in the desert at Saguaro.
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Reptile Mojave desert tortoise
Gopherus agassizii
A slow, dome-shelled land turtle that digs long burrows to escape the desert heat, living in the Mojave country of Joshua Tree, Saguaro, and Death Valley.
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Reptile Western diamondback rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox
A big desert rattlesnake with diamond shapes down its back and a black-and-white "coon tail," most likely to be sunning near a trail at Big Bend or Saguaro.