It is pink and grey, 2ft long and one of the only two venomous lizards in the world.
Yet the Gila Monster has proved an unlikely ally in the battle to control diabetes.
Scientists have isolated a chemical in its saliva which is similar to a human hormone that helps regulate blood sugar.
The Gila (pronounced heela) Monster, which is native to the desert areas of the U.S. and Mexico, eats only three or four times a year and a compound known as exendin-4 produced in its salivary glands helps it digest these meals very slowly.
This quality has been copied and produced synthetically in the injectable drug exenatide, which is being used to treat type 2 diabetes.
Type 2, which mainly affects the over-40s, occurs when the body gradually loses the ability to process blood sugar, leading to high levels which can damage body organs.
The companies Eli Lilly and Amylin Pharmaceuticals are launching the drug today under the brand name Byetta.
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