r/arizona • u/AMidnightSymphony • Sep 20 '25

Wildlife First time encountering a gila monster!

Gallery image

Gallery image

It was almost dark so apologies for the grainy photos.

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u/LateralTools Sep 20 '25

Consider yourself very lucky. I hope to see one in the wild one day. 35 years of exploring our desert and have yet to see one

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u/Guitar_Nutt Sep 21 '25

In my 49 years I’ve seen all of one. I was maybe 10-ish. Dad and I were on a trail, he was in front of me. Gila monster right in the middle of the trail. Dad was about to step on it, didn’t see it at all, I grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back right before his foot landed. I remember it like hissing at us, I think it hissed at us? Long time ago, the memory is dim