Talk:Gila monster/GA1

GA Review

OK, let's begin...Cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 09:32, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

• I have begun by doing a couple of no-brainer style things.

• Because of its reputation for being poisonous, the Gila Monster is often killed out of fear, but it is currently protected by Arizona state law. - flow is odd. I know what you mean but am trying to think of a way to rephrase.
  • Fixed by Mike.
• The Gila Monster lives a largely sedentary lifestyle, the main components of its diet is comprised of eggs and small mammals and birds. - I'd separate these sentences which sound odd juxtaposed like this. You could add some other info to flesh each out.
  • Fixed
• live up to 20 years in the wild, or thirty in captivity. - ick! Try numbers in both places I think.
  • Fixed by Mike.

*..one close extant relative --> 'living' - plainer English.

• • Fixed
• In Taxonomy section, Cope's name is slotted in at the end. It should be noted in the text that he described the species.
  • Fixed

*Link or explain osteoderms.

• • Linked and explained already.
• Although the Gila Monster appears closely related to the monitor lizards (Varanids), wide geographical separation and unique features not found in the Varanids indicates that the Gila Monster should remain separate from the Varanids. - be nice to elaborate here a little. the verb 'should' sounds a little odd here.
  • Elaborated.
    • I trimmed it to remove the 'should', but no features are mentioned yet.

• The scales are most vivid when the Gila Monster is young, as it ages, the colors become paler and more reticulated. - split into 2 sentences
  • Semicolon'd.
• They avoid living in open areas.. - exposed areas?

• In Diet section, make sure all in singular.
  • Singular
• Although the venom is a neurotoxin as toxic as that of a Western diamondback rattlesnake, the Gila Monster produces only small amounts of venom. - bolded bit redundant. n meaning is lost by its removal.
  • Removed
• horridum venom - link? explain? ditto helothermine.
  • I don't really see how I can explain. They're both red links, and yes, it is called horridum venom.
    • OK, nevermind.

I'll read from drug research later.

• This bit all in quotes - "the lizard hormone is about 50 percent identical to a similar hormone in the human digestive tract, called glucagon-like peptide-1 analog, or GLP-1, that increases the production of insulin when blood sugar levels are high. Insulin helps move sugar from the blood into other body tissues where it is used for energy. The lizard hormone remains effective much longer than the human hormone, and thus its synthetic form helps diabetics keep their blood sugar levels from getting too high. Exenatide also slows the emptying of the stomach and causes a decrease in appetite, which is how it leads to weight loss." - could be rewritten without them. It's fairly generic. I try and limit my use of quotes for a particularly memorable segment of speech which would lose something by rewording.
  • Paraphrased.
• The female will lay her eggs in July or August, burying them in sand 5 inches below the surface. - MOS units (ie add cm)
  • Added
• The social behavior of Gila Monsters is an area in which little is known, - how about "Little is known about the social behavior of the Gila Monster..."
  • Fixed.

I can't think of anything else missed in comprehensiveness issues. Looks ok with these easy fixes. I might have some more ideas on copyediting as I feel more could be done but this is not a deal-breaker ofr GA status. Cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 10:20, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Nice to be working with you again, Casliber. I'll be on it! bibliomaniac15 16:01, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

All current issues have been fixed. bibliomaniac15 16:27, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

Update

• Ok, just add some differences between in and monitors. I also need to ask someone a grammar question. Cheers, Casliber (talk · contribs) 23:35, 12 June 2008 (UTC)