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Chuckwallas are lizards found primarily in arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Some are found on coastal islands. The five species of chuckwallas are all placed within the genus Sauromalus; they are part of the iguanid family, Iguanidae.
Taxonomy and etymologyEdit
The generic name, Sauromalus, is said to be a combination of two ancient Greek words: sauros meaning "lizard" and homalos (ὁμαλός) meaning "flat".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press.</ref> The common name "chuckwalla" derives from the Shoshone word tcaxxwal or Cahuilla čaxwal, transcribed by Spaniards as chacahuala.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Extant speciesEdit
| Image | Scientific name | Common name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| File:Western.chuckwalla.arp.jpg | Sauromalus ater | common chuckwalla | eastern California, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada south to Baja California and Sonora. |
| File:Sauromalus hispidus - Reptilium Landau.jpg | Sauromalus hispidus | Angel Island chuckwalla | Isla Ángel de la Guarda and 10 smaller islands in the Gulf of California |
| File:Sauromalus obesus 1zz.jpg | Sauromalus klauberi | Santa Catalina chuckwalla / Spotted chuckwalla | Baja California |
| Sauromalus slevini | Monserrat chuckwalla | islands in the Sea of Cortés: Isla del Carmen, Isla Coronados, and Isla Monserrate | |
| File:San Esteban Island Chuckwalla.jpg | Sauromalus varius | San Esteban chuckwalla / piebald chuckwalla / pinto chuckwalla | endemic to San Esteban Island in the Gulf of California |
DescriptionEdit
Chuckwallas are stocky, wide-bodied lizards with flattened midsections and prominent bellies. Their tails are thick, tapering to a blunt tip.<ref name=Stebbins/> Loose folds of skin characterize the neck and sides of their bodies, which are covered in small, coarsely granular scales. The common chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) measures Template:Nobr long, whereas insular species such as the San Esteban chuckwalla of San Esteban Island (Sauromalus varius) can measure as long as Template:Nobr
They are sexually dimorphic, with males having reddish-pink to orange, yellow, or light gray bodies and black heads, shoulders, and limbs; females and juveniles have bodies with scattered spots or contrasting bands of light and dark in shades of gray or yellow. Males are generally larger than females and possess well-developed femoral pores located on the inner sides of their thighs; these pores produce secretions believed to play a role in marking territory.<ref name=Stebbins/>
Range, habitat, and dietEdit
The genus Sauromalus has a wide distribution in biomes of the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts.<ref name="Stebbins"/> The common chuckwalla (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">Template:Cite journal</ref>
The other species are island-dwelling, so have much more restricted distributions. The 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">Template:Cite book</ref> Two rare and endangered species are the 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.
Chuckwallas prefer lava flows 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 ft (1,370 m).<ref name="Stebbins"/>
Primarily herbivorous, chuckwallas feed on leaves, fruit, and flowers of annuals and perennial plants; insects 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"/>
Behavior and reproductionEdit
Harmless to humans, these lizards are known to run from potential threats.<ref name="Stebbins"/> When disturbed, a chuckwalla wedges itself into a tight rock crevice and inflates its lungs to entrench itself.<ref name="Stebbins">Stebbins, Robert C., (2003) A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Template:ISBN</ref><ref name="Deban">Template:Cite journal</ref>
Males are seasonally and conditionally territorial; an abundance of resources tends to create a hierarchy based on size, with one large male dominating the area's smaller males.<ref name="Stebbins"/> Chuckwallas use a combination of color and physical displays, namely "push-ups", head-hobbing, and gaping of the mouth, to communicate and defend their territory.<ref name="Stebbins"/>
Chuckwallas are diurnal animals and as they are ectothermic, spend much of their mornings and winter days basking.<ref name="Stebbins"/> These lizards are well adapted to desert conditions; they are active at temperatures up to Template:Convert. Chuckwallas hibernate during cooler months and emerge in February.<ref name="Stebbins"/> Juveniles emerge first, then adults, as temperatures reach around Template:Convert.<ref name="Stebbins"/>
Mating occurs from April to July, with five to 16 eggs laid between June and August. The eggs hatch in late September.<ref name="Stebbins"/> Chuckwallas may live for 25 years or more.
- Male Chuckwalla.JPG
Large male chuckwalla, picture taken in the White Tank Mountains near Surprise, AZ
- Chuckwalla.jpg
Adult chuckwalla of the Sonoran Desert
- Juvenile Chuckwalla.jpg
Juvenile chuckwalla of the Sonoran Desert
- Chuckwalla(landers ca).jpg
Adult chuckwalla of the Mojave Desert
- Basking Chuckwalla.jpg
Large male common chuckwalla in Joshua Tree National Park
- Chuckwalla Sneezing.jpg
A chuckwalla sneezing salt in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
- Chuckwalla baby.jpg
Baby Chuckwalla, Titus Canyon, Death Valley National Park
Human useEdit
The Seri people considered the Angel Island species of chuckwalla an important food item.<ref>Richard Felger and Mary B. Moser (1985) People of the desert and sea: ethnobotany of the Seri Indians Tucson: University of Arizona Press.</ref> They are believed to have translocated the lizards to most of the islands in Bahia de los Angeles for use as a food source in times of need.<ref name="Case"/>