Bend, Ore. - Two families that are members of the High Desert Museum have won the Gila monster naming contest, choosing the names Pumice and Obsidian for the two venomous, orange-and-black reptiles.
The winners are Amanda, Dustin and Lucy Cowell of Redmond, and Stephanie, Scot, Will, Luke and Delaney Langton family of Bend.
They have won a behind-the-scenes Museum wildlife tour, and a
photo opportunity with the monsters.
Venomous Gila monsters debuted in their new exhibit at the High
Desert Museum on Oct. 6.
The venomous Gila monster is a threatened species in the High Desert. It is the largest lizard native to the United States, growing up to nearly two feet in length.
The Museum would like to thank donors Tim McGinnis, Neil
Bryant, Margi Heater, Tom Triplett, Hans van den Houten and
Peter Holzer for contributing funding to bring this threatened
species to the Museum
