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 etymology
The generic name, Sauromalus, is said to be a combination of two ancient Greek words: meaning "lizard" and () meaning "flat". The common name "chuckwalla" derives from the Shoshone word or Cahuilla , transcribed by Spaniards as chacahuala.
Extant species
{| class="wikitable"
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! Image !! Scientific name !! Common name !! Distribution
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|120px || Sauromalus ater || common chuckwalla ||eastern California, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada south to Baja California and Sonora.
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|120px || Sauromalus hispidus || Angel Island chuckwalla ||Isla Ángel de la Guarda and 10 smaller islands in the Gulf of California
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|120px || Sauromalus klauberi || Santa Catalina chuckwalla / Spotted chuckwalla || Baja California
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| || Sauromalus slevini || Monserrat chuckwalla ||islands in the Sea of Cortés: Isla del Carmen, Isla Coronados, and Isla Monserrate
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|120px || Sauromalus varius || San Esteban chuckwalla / piebald chuckwalla / pinto chuckwalla || endemic to San Esteban Island in the Gulf of California
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|}
Description
Chuckwallas are stocky, wide-bodied lizards with flattened midsections and prominent bellies. Their tails are thick, tapering to a blunt tip.
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. 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.
thumbnail|Chuckwalla (S. ater) in rocky area of [[Death Valley National Park]]
Chuckwallas prefer lava flows and rocky areas
Primarily herbivorous, chuckwallas feed on leaves, fruit, and flowers of annuals and perennial plants; insects represent a supplementary prey.
Behavior and reproduction
Harmless to humans, these lizards are known to run from potential threats.
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. These lizards are well adapted to desert conditions; they are active at temperatures up to . Chuckwallas hibernate during cooler months and emerge in February. 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.. Known to have tender meat, sometimes likened to frog legs, they would also trade it with nearby Tribes that did not have access to the creatures. They were typically hunted with sharp bone and later wire hooks used to puncture the air sacs, allowing the chuckwalla to be removed from the rocks it would wedge itself between