beaded lizard
Definition
Noun: * A venomous lizard (Heloderma horridum) native to western Mexico, characterized by a stout body and distinctive skin covered with rounded, bead-like scales, typically black with yellowish or pinkish markings.
Usage
- The beaded lizard is one of only two known venomous lizard species in the world.
- Conservationists are working to protect the habitat of the Mexican beaded lizard.
- Its name comes from the beaded appearance of its rough, tubercular scales.
Advanced Usage
- Taxonomic Context: The term is used specifically within herpetology to distinguish from its relative, the Gila monster (). It is sometimes called the "Mexican beaded lizard."
- Descriptive Zoology: The "beaded" descriptor is a direct reference to the morphology of its integument (skin covering), which resembles a string of beads.
Variants and Related Words
- Heloderma horridum: The scientific (Latin) name for the species.
- Venomous lizard: A broader category that includes the beaded lizard and the Gila monster.
- Gila monster (): A closely related venomous lizard found in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.
Synonyms
- Mexican beaded lizard
- (scientific name)
- Escorpión (a local name in parts of Mexico, meaning "scorpion")
Notes
- The term "beaded" in the name is an adjective describing the lizard's physical appearance. It is not typically used in other compound forms for this animal (e.g., one would not say "a beaded-lizard bite" but "a beaded lizard's bite" or "a bite from a beaded lizard").
Noun
-
lizard with black and yellowish beadlike scales; of western Mexico
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