Despite the charismatic status that the Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) maintains with the public and herpetologists alike, many natural history aspects of this enigmatic lizard remain shrouded in mystery. While interest in the habits of the Gila Monster is high, the funding to study them is nearly nonexistent. Any labor to gain knowledge about them is one of love. This presentation is full of that love. It will attempt to lift the veil of secrecy that surrounds them by utilizing imagery, historical documentation, and just plain good luck. While the focus is on reproduction, many aspects of their daily life in the wild, such as site fidelity, commensal behavior, predator/prey relationships, and many other fun facts will be revealed. As the title implies, this presentation is for anybody who is wild about Gila Monsters. The enthusiastic tribute to this fascinating lizard promises to be as wild and unique as the subject matter presented, and there will be something for everybody who attends.

Roger Repp came out of his mother’s womb as a herpetologist. Upon graduating from High School, he followed the career-path advice of Ray Pawley, who was then curator of reptiles at the Brookfield Zoo. Ray told him: “Get into a trade, kid, that is where the money is.”  Roger did exactly that, and five years later, he earned his journeyman tool and die maker degree. There was indeed a nice paycheck in that calling, and any free cash that remained after paying bills was spent in equal parts on gas and beer to get him where the herps could be found. He moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1981, and with the formation of the Tucson Herpetological Society in 1988, his interest in the local herpetofauna exploded into a rabid passion. He maintained consistent field documentation of all snakes, several lizard species, and all turtles encountered in Arizona from 1989 through 1999, and broadened that dataset to include all herps encountered since the year 2000. In March of 2001, he joined forces with Dr. Gordon Schuett to begin a 15-year long radio telemetry study on four species of rattlesnake, as well as Gila Monsters (Heloderma suspectum). He has authored or coauthored over 20 peer review papers, and has published over 100 herp-related articles in various herp society newsletters. He currently publishes a monthly column in the Bulletin of the Chicago Herpetological Society, and is enjoying his third year of retirement doing what he loves most. Roger has served as president of the THS, and the recipient of its esteemed Jarchow Conservation Award for excellence in southwestern herpetology. He is currently the Immediate Past President of the THS.

 

Meeting Time:
7:15pm

Meeting Place:
City Ward 3 Meeting Room – 1510 E Grant Rd – Tucson AZ 85719

Southeast corner of Grant and Vine between Campbell and Mountain Avenues

Pre-meeting Eats:
Blue Willow – 2616 N Campbell Ave, Tucson, AZ 85719

Southeast block of Glenn and Campbell