n.
A large herbaceous lizard (Sauromalus obesus) of the southwest United States and Mexico, related to the iguana.
[American Spanish chacahuala, from Cahuilla tcáxxwal.]
chuckwalla
Dictionary:
chuck·wal·la (chŭk'wŏl'ə) 
|
n.
A large herbaceous lizard (Sauromalus obesus) of the southwest United States and Mexico, related to the iguana.
| 5min Related Video: chuckwalla |
| Word Origins: chuckwalla |
from Cahuilla
This word originated in United States
How much walla could a chuckwalla chuck if a chuckwalla could chuck walla? This question makes as much sense for the chuckwalla as a similar question does for the similarly named woodchuck. The name has nothing to do with chucking or wallahs (the latter a Hindi word referring to people who do particular work, like a dictionary wallah). Rather, chuckwalla is an English rendition of a Spanish rendition of a word in the Cahuilla Indian language of southern California, recorded in English since 1893.
The chuckwalla is a lizard that lives in the deserts of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It likes heat and doesn't start moving in the morning till the sun warms it to about 100 degrees. To cool off when the sun gets too hot, it crawls into the shade, but it can also change color to reflect more or less light and heat.
A strict vegetarian, the chuckwalla contents itself with eating fruit, flowers, buds, and leaves. Its skin hangs loosely from a plump body, and it grows to a good size, eleven to eighteen inches long. It hides from enemies by scurrying between rocks and inflating itself so that it is wedged safely in place. And since it spends most of its time quietly making itself comfortable, the chuckwalla can make a good pet.
Indians in Death Valley, California, sought it out for food. "Desert Indians all eat chuckwallas, big black and white lizards that have delicate white flesh savored like chicken," wrote Mary Hunter Austin in her novel about the Shoshone, The Land of Little Rain (1903).
Cahuilla is now spoken by no more than fifty people, mostly on the Cahuilla reservation in the southern California desert. It is a member of the Shoshonean language family, kin to Hopi, Comanche, Ute, and Paiute, among others. No other Cahuilla words have made their way into English.
| WordNet: chuckwalla |
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The noun has one meaning:
Meaning #1:
rock-dwelling herbivorous lizard of arid parts of southwestern United States and Mexico
Synonym: Sauromalus obesus
| Wikipedia: Chuckwalla |
| Chuckwalla[1] | |
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| Common Chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Family: | Iguanidae |
| Genus: | Sauromalus Dumeril, 1856 |
| Species | |
|
Sauromalus ater (formerly Sauromalus obesus) |
|
The Chuckwalla (less commonly chuckawalla) is a large lizard found primarily in arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Some are found on coastal islands. There are five species of chuckwalla, all within the genus Sauromalus; they are part of the iguanid family, Iguanidae.
Contents |
Taxonomy and etymology
The generic name, Sauromalus, is a combination of two Ancient Greek words:σαῦρος (sauros) meaning "lizard". and ομαλυς (omalus) meaning "flat".[2] The common name chuckwalla derives from the Shoshone word "tcaxxwal" or Cahuilla "caxwal", transcribed by Spaniards as "chacahuala".
Physical description
Chuckwallas are a stocky wide-bodied lizard with a flattened midsection and prominent belly. Their tails are thick, tapering to a blunt tip.[3] Loose folds of skin characterize the neck and sides of the body, which is covered in small, coarsely granular scales. The common chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater) measures 40 cm in length whereas insular species such as the giant chuckwalla of San Esteban Island (Sauromalus varius) can measure as much as 76 cm in total length.
They are sexually dimorphic with males having reddish-pink to orange, yellow or light gray bodies and black heads, shoulders and limbs; females and the immature have bodies with scattered spots or contrasting bands of light and dark in shades of gray or yellow.[3] 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.[3]
Range, habitat and diet
The genus Sauromalus has a wide distribution in desert biomes.[3] This is especially true of the common chuckwalla (Sauromalus ater), found from southern California east to southern Nevada and Utah, western Arizona and south to Baja California and northwestern Mexico.[3]
The other species are island-dwelling and therefore have much more restricted distributions: Two rare and endangered species are the Montserrat chuckwalla (Sauromalus slevini) found on Islas Carmen, Coronados and Montserrat in the southern Gulf of California and the San Esteban chuckwalla or Painted chuckwalla (Sauromalus varius) found on San Esteban Island, Lobos and Pelicanos.
The Angel Island chuckwalla (Sauromalus hispidus) and peninsular chuckwalla (Sauromalus australis) are found on Isla Ángel de la Guarda and surrounding islands off the coast of the Baja California peninsula.[4]
Chuckwallas prefer lava flows and rocky areas, and many more such as those found in the Sonoran and Mojave Deserts.[3] These areas are typically vegetated by creosote bush and other such drought-tolerant scrub. The lizards may be found at elevations of up to 4,500 feet (1,370 m).[3]
Primarily herbivorous, chuckwallas feed on leaves, fruit and flowers of annuals and perennial plants; insects represent a supplementary prey.[3] The lizards are said to prefer yellow flowers, such as those of the brittlebush (Encelia farinosa).[3]
Behavior and reproduction
Harmless to humans, these lizards are known to run from potential threats.[3] When disturbed, the chuckwalla will wedge itself into a tight rock crevice, gulp air, and inflate its body in order to entrench itself.[3]
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.[3] Chuckwallas use a combination of colour and physical displays, namely "push ups", head-hobbing, and gaping of the mouth to communicate and defend their territory (see animal communication).[3]
Chuckwallas are diurnal animals and as they are ectothermic, spend much of their mornings and winter days basking.[3] These lizards are well adapted to desert conditions; they are active at temperatures of up to 102°F (39°C).[3] Chuckwallas hibernate during cooler months and emerge in February.[3]
Mating occurs from April to July, with 5-16 eggs laid between June and August. The eggs hatch in late September.[3] Chuckwallas may live for 25 years or more.
 Adult Chuckwalla of the Sonoran Desert |
 Juvenile Chuckwalla of the Sonoran Desert |
Human use
The Comca’ac (Seri) considered the Angel Island species of chuckwalla an important food item.[5] It is believed they translocated the lizards to most of the islands in Bahia de los Angeles for use as a food source in times of need.[4]
Notes
- ^ Sauromalus (TSN 173945). Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved on 15 September 2008.
- ^ Schwenkmeyer, Dick. "Sauromalus ater Common Chuckwalla". Field Guide. San Diego Natural History Museum. http://www.sdnhm.org/fieldguide/herps/saur-ate.html. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Stebbins, Robert C.,(2003) A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, 3rd Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, ISBN 0395982723
- ^ a b Case, T. J. (1982). Ecology and evolution of insular gigantic chuckwallas, Sauromalus hispidus and Sauromalus varius. Park Ridge, New Jersey: Noyes Publications. pp. 184–212. ISBN 0815509170.
- ^ Richard Felger and Mary B. Moser (1985) People of the desert and sea: ethnobotany of the Seri Indians Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
External links
 |
Wikispecies has information related to: Sauromalus |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
Learn More
 | Common chuckwalla |
| Frank Austin (Actor, Comedy/Western) |
| The Living Desert (1953 Nature Film) |
 | What are the predators of the chuckwalla? Read answer... |
| Is a Chuckwalla a vertebrate? Read answer... |
| What is the estimated number of san esteban chuckwallas? Read answer... |
Help us answer these
 | Can you have a Chuckwalla as a pet? |
| What is the population for Chuckwalla? |
| What is the largest chuckwalla? |
Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:
Copyrights:
 |
 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Word Origins. The World in So Many Words, by Allan A. Metcalf. Copyright © 1999 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more |
 |
| Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Chuckwalla". Read more |
Related answers
- What is a chuckwalla?
- Do chuckwallas laugh?
- What is a predator of the chuckwalla?
- What does a chuckwalla eat?
- What do chuckwallas eat?
ADVERTISEMENT
Answer these
- What is the adaptations of the chuckwalla?
- What are the defenses of the chuckwalla?
- What do chuckwalla eat?
- Is your chuckwalla sick?
Mentioned in
- Common chuckwalla
- Frank Austin (Actor, Comedy/Western)
- The Living Desert (1953 Nature Film)
- Red Courage (1921 Western Film)
