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This postcard features an illustration of a brightly colored Gila monster climbing a large, spiny Saguaro cactus in a desert landscape, postmarked in 1945.The Gila monster (*Heloderma suspectum*) is a heavy, slow-moving reptile native to the Sonoran, Mojave, and Chihuahuan deserts of the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. During the pioneer era of the American West, the Gila monster was the subject of exaggerated myths, with early settlers claiming the animal possessed toxic breath or spat lethal venom. In reality, the lizard spends up to 95 percent of its life underground in burrows, emerging primarily to hunt small mammals and eggs. It is highly non-aggressive toward humans, and no confirmed fatalities from its bite have occurred since 1939.As urban expansion encroached on its desert habitat throughout the 20th century, the species faced significant population declines. In 1952, the Gila monster became the first venomous animal in North America to receive legal protection.* Publisher: Distributed by J. R. Willis, Box 665, Albuquerque, N. M.
* Printer: Genuine Curteich-Chicago \"C.T. Art-Colortone\"
* Card number: 89
* C.T. Art-Colortone* Postmark date: November 30, 1945
* Stamp description: Green 1 Cent George Washington stampThe message reads: \"Having a grand time Grace Fryman\"Shipping and Handling:
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