S e c r e t s

The Gila monster is a venomous lizard native to the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. Not only did Peter painstakingly sculpt its reticulated pattern, but he included numerous secrets. Its Latin name, Heloderma suspectum, means studded skin. Suspectum derives from palaeontologist Edward Drinker Cope’s suspicion that the lizard may be poisonous due to its teeth grooves. Gila refers to the Gila River Basin in Arizona, where these lizards were once plentiful. Exenatide is a drug used in the treatment of diabetes and is a synthetic version of a hormone found in the saliva of the Gila monster. Open the lid of this fixed edition box figurine to find a baby hatching Gila and Peter’s initials under one of the rocks.