Male combat in captive Gila monsters

Breeding season is upon me, and it couldn’t be more exciting! As this is my first time working with a group of Gila monsters, I was unsure of what male-to-male combat looked like versus male-to-female interactions. In books they look similar but from what I have seen so far it is a very different interaction. Now, I must say that my intention was not to stimulate breeding but to confirm the sexes of the lizards in my colony. I have read that male combat can be vicious in captivity as there is no escape for the subordinate male and can certainly see how it can escalate to this level after seeing my males briefly duke it out. I find it interesting that males do not waste time getting into combat when introduced to one another, while males and females take some time to find each other and the ensuing interaction is much more gentle (though, I have seen the females bite the males on several occasions so far). This is the first step in breeding, and has been very interesting to see these reptiles interact.

Below are a few videos shot on my Leica X Vario to help others see what male combat looks like in captivity. Please note that I was around the whole time during this interaction to ensure things did not get out of control. There was some biting in the beginning but it turned into a wresting match.