Gila Monster

This morning visitor on our patio was about 7 or 8 inches long. He moves very slowly.

Word on Gila Monsters is that their bite is not poisonous (if you are healthy), but the bite is persistent, that is they don't let go and they keep grinding. Often Emergency Room personnel have to pry animals off victims. Not a lot of fun, i reckon.

I expect that this fellow was just passing through, looking for breakfast, and that he will soon depart. This is the first one that we have seen in our yard in six years.

This General Rule with desert animals should be observed, "If you do not bother them, they will not bother you".

From Wikipedia:
The Gila monster feeds primarily on bird and reptile eggs, and occasionally upon small birds, mammals, frogs, lizards, insects, and carrion.[12] The Gila monster eats infrequently (only five to ten times a year in the wild),[13] but when it does feed, it may eat up to one-third of its body mass.[14] It uses its extremely acute sense of smell to locate prey, especially eggs. Its sense of smell is so keen that it can locate and dig up chicken eggs buried 15 centimetres (5.9 in) deep and accurately follow a trail made by rolling an egg.[5]