Telford Exotic Zoo's peculiar lizard to star on Blue Peter

Scott Adams, who runs Telford's Exotic Zoo, will be taking a Gila monster on to the CBBC show today to talk with presenters about the lizard.

Mr Adams, 33, will also be taking mossy frogs with him to show youngsters how animals can camouflage themselves.

The frogs look like clumps of moss, and against the same background they can appear virtually invisible.

However, the Gila monster – a venomous lizard – is black and bright orange, which can serve as a warning to predators.

The slow-moving lizard is native to the south-western United States and north-western Mexican state of Sonora.

Mr Adams said: "The Gila monster is one of only two known species of venomous lizards.

"They have a venomous bite which is similar to a rattlesnake's venom. It's really bright to warn other animals.

"They are quite stocky lizards with tough scales.

"It's quite a new animal at Exotic Zoo. We've just got one of them. He's about three-years-old and is called Hesus.

"I'm quite excited about taking a little bit of an extraordinary animal on to the show. It's an exciting opportunity for the children to learn about unusual animals."

Mr Adams will star on today's episode of Blue Peter which will be broadcast live on CBBC at 5pm. He added: "I'll be talking to the presenters and then, after the show, I'm doing a live web chat with the viewers as well."

The Gila monster eats small birds, mammals, frogs, lizards and insects.

It feeds primarily on bird and reptile eggs, and eats infrequently, only five to 10 times a year in the wild.

It uses its extremely acute sense of smell to locate prey, especially eggs.

Telford's Exotic Zoo has a community education centre based in Bradley Road Industrial Estate in Donnington Wood.

It works with schools, colleges and education providers to offer unique animal and environment educational workshops.