Monster lizards are Hallowe'en treat for visitors to Dublin Zoo
One of the four mice-eating Gila Monster Lizards that have arrived at Dublin Zoo
A gang of venomous lizards have staged a Hallowe'en invasion of Dublin Zoo.
This band of four Gila Monster Lizards come equipped with their own festive costumes of small bead-type scales in pink, orange and black.
This is the first time the meat-eating creatures, the largest lizard species native to America, have been displayed at Dublin Zoo.
However, director Leo Oosterweghel revealed that despite their scary appearance, they possess beneficial health qualities and offer "new hope" to people with diabetes.
A component contained in their saliva can aid the control of diabetes, he explained.
The egg-laying lizards are one of only two known species of venomous lizards in the world.
Their teeth contain grooves that allow the venom to flow into wounds as the lizard chews its victim. The bite can fell its prey but rarely proves fatal to humans.
Its skin is made up of individual rounded, raised scales in blotches of pink or orange contrasted with a black hue.
The six-month-old lizards, which will be dining on a diet of mice, may be only four inches in length at the moment but they can grow up to two feet.
The four were bred in Arizona and donated by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly to mark the contribution the species has made in aiding diabetes research.
It's the Gila Monsters' unique physiology which has proved beneficial to diabetes research.
After eating, a hormone-like molecule circulates in their blood aiding metabolic control.
A synthetic version of the same protein has been developed to treat human type-2 diabetes.
- Louise Hogan
