Gila Monster vs gray wolf

Heloderma suspectum compared with Canis lupus

Key Differences

• Gila Monster is Near Threatened while gray wolf is Critically Endangered.
• gray wolf is 64.3x heavier than Gila Monster.
• Gila Monster lives longer (20 years vs 13 years).

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Gila Monster	gray wolf
Kingdom same	Animalia (动物界)	Animalia (动物界)
Phylum same	Chordata (脊索动物门)	Chordata (脊索动物门)
Class	Reptilia (爬行纲)	Mammalia (哺乳動物)
Order	Squamata (有鱗目)	Carnivora (食肉目)
Family	Varanidae (Monitor Lizards)	Canidae (Dogs & Wolves)
Genus	Varanus (Monitor Lizards)	Canis (Dogs & Wolves)
Species	Heloderma suspectum	Canis lupus

Evolutionary Relationship

Gila Monster and gray wolf share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (脊索动物门)

Conservation Status

Gila Monster

NT — Near Threatened

Trend: Stable →

gray wolf

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~300.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Gila Monster	gray wolf
Diet	Carnivore	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	20 years	13 years
Average Length	50 cm	1.6 m
Average Weight	700 g	45.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Gila Monster

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Distributed across Mexico and United States. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

gray wolf

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, deserts and xeric shrublands, and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Seychelles), Asia (Japan), Europe (5 countries), North America (7 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Vanuatu), and South America (5 countries). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Gila Monster

希拉毒蜥（Heloderma suspectum）是原产于美国西南部和墨西哥的毒蜥。它是少数几种有毒蜥蜴之一。

gray wolf

灰狼是分布最广的野生犬科动物，分布范围从北美横跨欧亚大陆，栖息于冻原、森林和草原等多种生境。高度社会化的动物，以由占优势的繁殖对领导的家族群体生活。作为关键捕食者，狼调节猎物种群并深刻影响生态系统结构，黄石公园的重引入项目对此有充分证明。曾遭到严重迫害，但目前许多地区的种群正在恢复。

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 1 countries:

🇺🇸 United States