Q 01/05

The Gila monster is the only venomous lizard native to the US; how is 'Gila' pronounced?

A) GHEE-la

B) HEE-la

C) JYE-la

D) GILL-a

Answer · why

B) HEE-la

HEE-la is correct: the name comes from the Gila River basin, where the lizards were once plentiful.

Q 02/05

A protein found in Gila monster venom became the basis of a medicine for which widespread disease?

A) Hypertension

B) Rheumatoid arthritis

C) Type 2 diabetes

D) Osteoporosis

Answer · why

C) Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes treatment changed with exendin-4, a venom protein that stays active much longer than the human gut hormone it resembles.

Q 03/05

Gila monster venom research led to which class of drugs that includes Ozempic and Wegovy?

A) GLP-1 agonists

B) ACE inhibitors

C) Beta blockers

D) Proton pump inhibitors

Answer · why

A) GLP-1 agonists

GLP-1 agonists began with a synthetic copy of exendin-4, a protein from the lizard's venom, which US regulators approved in 2005.

Q 04/05

Old West pioneers wrongly believed which feature of the Gila monster could kill a person?

A) Its shadow

B) Its blood

C) Its stare

D) Its breath

Answer · why

D) Its breath

Its breath was blamed in frontier myth, and an 1890 Scientific American report even supposed the lizard's foul gas overcame the insects and small anim...

Q 05/05

Which body part does the Gila monster use to store fat, letting it live on a few meals a year?

A) Its tail

B) Its neck

C) Its cheeks

D) Its legs

Answer · why

A) Its tail

Its tail swells with fat after big meals, and three or four large feasts are thought to supply enough energy for an entire season.