Desert-Dwelling Monsters

I got to see my first Gila Monster in the wild!  Check it out!!

These guys are typically pretty solitary and nocturnal, so I've heard, which I assume is why I've never come across one until now.  They're the only venomous lizard native to the United States, but they move pretty slow and are generally not very much of a threat to humans.  (Just don't piss them off or stick your hand in their mouth.  That would be stupid.)

We took a sunset hike up in Sabino Canyon last weekend, and spotted this guy along the trail.  This one was about a foot long.  I hear they're good luck-- and considering that we managed to make it out of the canyon in the dark without getting eaten by mountain lions that night, maybe we should count our good fortune as having already worked its magic.  Although I'm not sure what kind of crazy mountain lion would want anything to do with this motley crew...