Editing Chuckwalla (section)

== Range, habitat, and diet ==
The genus ''Sauromalus'' has a wide distribution in [[biome]]s of the [[Sonoran Desert|Sonoran]] and [[Mojave Desert]]s.<ref name="Stebbins"/>  The common chuckwalla (''[[Sauromalus ater|S. ater]]'') is the species with the greatest range, found from southern [[California]] east to southern [[Nevada]] and [[Utah]] and western [[Arizona]], and south to [[Baja California]] and northwestern Mexico.<ref name="Stebbins"/> The [[peninsular chuckwalla]] (''S. australis'') is found on the eastern portion of the southern half of the Baja California Peninsula.<ref name = "Hollingsworth">{{Cite journal | last = Hollingsworth | first = Bradford D.  
  | title = The systematics of chuckwallas (''Sauromalus'') with a phylogenetic analysis of other iguanid lizards
  | journal = [[Herpetological Monographs]] | volume = 12 | pages = 38–191 
  | year = 1998
  | jstor = 1467020
  | doi =10.2307/1467020}}</ref>

The other species are island-dwelling, so have much more restricted distributions. The [[Angel Island Chuckwalla|Angel Island chuckwalla]] (''S. hispidus'') is found on [[Isla Ángel de la Guarda]] and surrounding islands off the coast of the Baja California Peninsula.<ref name="Case">{{cite book| last=Case|first=T. J.|year= 1982|chapter= Ecology and evolution of insular gigantic chuckwallas, ''Sauromalus hispidus'' and ''Sauromalus varius'' |pages=184–212|title= Iguanas of the World|publisher= Noyes Publications|location=Park Ridge, New Jersey|isbn=0-8155-0917-0}}</ref> Two rare and [[endangered species]] are the [[Sauromalus slevini|Montserrat chuckwalla]] (''S. slevini'') found on Islas Carmen, Coronados, and Montserrat in the southern [[Gulf of California]] and the San Esteban chuckwalla or painted chuckwalla (''S. varius'') found on San Esteban Island, Lobos, and Pelicanos.

[[File:Death Valley,19820817,Animals,Chuckawalla.jpg|thumbnail|Chuckwalla (''S. ater'') in rocky area of [[Death Valley National Park]]]]
Chuckwallas prefer [[lava flow]]s and rocky areas<ref name="Stebbins"/> typically vegetated by [[creosote bush]] and other such drought-tolerant scrub. The lizards may be found at elevations  up to 4,500&nbsp;ft (1,370&nbsp;m).<ref name="Stebbins"/>

Primarily [[herbivore|herbivorous]], chuckwallas feed on leaves, fruit, and flowers of [[annual plant|annual]]s and [[perennial plant]]s; [[insect]]s represent a supplementary prey.<ref name="Stebbins"/>  The lizards are said to prefer yellow flowers, such as those of the [[brittlebush]] (''Encelia farinosa'').<ref name="Stebbins"/>