Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/02/20/colorado-man-dies-after-his-pet-gila-monster-bites-him-an-extremely-unusual-reaction.html
…
6 Likes
“He doesn’t usually die when he gets bitten!”
6 Likes
That was my first thought. People don’t die from bee stings, either, unless they have an anaphylactic reaction to bee venom. Since the man kept gila monsters as pets, it’s possible the man had been bitten before, had a mild reaction, and shrugged it off. Second reactions are often much worse.
6 Likes
I also imagine that gila monster bites are pretty rare compared to bee stings given how widespread honeybees are and how rarely people are in close proximity to gila monsters. So it would make total sense that such deaths would be extremely rare even if just as many people are allergic to one as the other.
8 Likes
I don’t think I’d want one for a pet…
1 Like
There’s a thorough breakdown of all the supposed fatalities in “Gila monster: facts and folklore of America’s Aztec lizard”.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
