A humankind in Denver , Colorado has died after being bitten by his pet Gila ogre , accord to Lakewood City officials .

Thirty - four - year - sometime Christopher Ward owned two Gila monsters ( Heloderma suspectum ) named Winston and Potato despite thevenomouslizards being illegal in the state of Colorado , concord to a police force reportseen by AP .

On February 12 , Winston moment Ward and latched onto his helping hand . Ward presently began exhibiting symptom including disgorgement , before he passed out and stopped breathing . Ward ’s girl dialed 911 and he was rushed to hospital , where he was placed on life financial backing . On February 16 , he wasdeclared dead .

Gila monster , which can develop to up to around 56 centimeters ( 22 column inch ) in length , are one of very few poisonous lizards on Earth . When threaten , they can burn so as to pin their prey . Venom is deliver not through hollow Fang , as invenomous snake , but through grooved teeth .

To deliver more venom , the lizards can clamp their jaw down on potential attackers for over 10 hour .

" Two type of helodermatid bite produce trenchant clinical pictures , " onecase report explain . " The chewing bite potentially causes more envenomation than the slashing bite . The malice contains a number of protein and nonprotein components including serotonin , a bradykinin - loose substance , protease , Hyazyme , helodermin , and gilatoxin . The clinical presentment of a helodermatid bite can include pain , hydrops , hypotension , sickness , vomiting , weakness , and diaphoresis . "

No antivenomhas been uprise to the bites , though mostly they are not fatal to humans . The fauna , illegal to own as darling in Colorado butallowed in other US states , have reportedly now been taken into upkeep by Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Department of Natural Resources , with plan to rehome them in an animal park in South Dakota .

First , however , they will point to the University of Northern Colorado , where researchers willextract venomin order tofurther investigateWard ’s death . The Jefferson County coroner ’s office has not yet confirmed the case of death , and is expect further toxicology report .

[ H / T : CNN ]