The timing of reproductive events (e.g. oviposition and hatching) to coincide with favourable seasonal conditions is critical for successful reproduction. However, developmental time may not match the duration between the optimal time for oviposition and the optimal time for hatchling survival. Thus, strategies that alter the time between oviposition and hatchling emergence can be highly advantageous. Arrested development and the resulting extension of the duration between oviposition and hatching has been widely documented across oviparous amniotes, but nest overwintering by hatchlings has only been documented in aquatic chelonians that live where winters are quite cold. Herein, we present a compilation of evidence regarding reproductive phenology by hatchlings of the Gila monster (), a lizard inhabiting the Sonoran Desert of North America. Our data demonstrate that (i) Gila monster hatchlings from eggs oviposited in July do not emerge from their nests until late spring or summer of the following year, yet (ii) Gila monster eggs artificially incubated at field-relevant temperatures hatch in 4-5 months. Furthermore, we describe a fortuitous excavation of a hatching Gila monster nest in late October, which coincides with the artificial incubation results. Together, these results provide strong support for the existence of overwintering in the nest by a lizard, and suggest that this reproductive strategy should be explored in a broader array of taxa.

Down‐regulation of the digestive system between large meals is thought to afford energetic benefits to animals that feed infrequently. However, this idea has not been thoroughly tested. Thus, we assessed the realized benefits of infrequent feeding by examining how the timing of meal consumption influenced digestive efficiency and whole‐body growth of juvenile Gila monsters, a binge‐feeding lizard. All animals in our study received the same total energy intake for each feeding cycle, but meals were distributed differently over time among groups. One group had a 10–14‐day period of down‐regulation between meal sets while the other group had a constantly activated digestive system. The groups did not show differences in growth; however, differences in digestive efficiency for a specific meal indicate that feeding regime may have caused digestive adjustments (e.g. more efficient digestion) in one treatment group. Overall, our findings show that the energetic benefits of down‐regulation may depend more on species, extent of digestive regulation, or duration of fasting than previously supposed.