So, if you’re planning to explore the desert, remember ... monster is one of only a few venomous lizards in the world, native to the deserts of Arizona and surrounding regions.

Desert tortoises have lived in the deserts of California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah since the Pleistocene ... We won't let these ancient reptiles go the way of the dinosaurs.

The Mojave Desert may lose and gain suitable habitat for Gila monsters. But the unathletic reptiles might be mostly stuck in the waning oases.