Is the lizard behind Ozempic… running for the hills?!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Gila Monsters are desert lizards native to the American Southwest. They’re known for their iconic scales, and nasty venom, which is the key ingredient in Ozempic – the famous diabetes drug! But these reptiles are in hot water.
Just ask Steven Hromada and team at the University of Nevada.
Their models predict climate change will slim down the Gila Monster’s’ habitat by a third within SIXTY years. The reduced space in smaller, high-ground ecosystems will shrink their population.
But in low-emission scenarios, the lizard keeps its home!
If we go green, we can save our venomous pharmacists! Win win!
Reference: Hromada, S. J., Jones, J. L., Stalker, J. B., Wood, D. A., Vandergast, A. G., Tracy, C. R., Gienger, C. M., & Nussear, K. E. (2025). Climate and dispersal ability limit future habitats for gila monsters in the Mojave Desert. Ecology and Evolution, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.71008