Common Chuckwalla | [ Sizes: Orig | Med | Small | Thumb ] |
Formerly known as Sauromalus obesus, but now officially known as Sauromalus ater. This fine female (I think) was basking and posing for us in a remote canyon in Death Valley National Park. At first, she was timid, at one point running under a rock to hide. But after a while, she realized we had no desire to eat a lizard. We were far into the wilderness, but we still had a turkey sandwich and plenty of Clif shots, after all. 08 March 2009.
Comments
[ Post a Comment ]| mrh | size? | | 
Voted 10/10 | How big is that lizard? | | Posted Mar 9, 2009 3:14 pm |
 | | Day Hiker | Re: size? | | 
Hasn't voted | This one was about a foot long, which is smaller than the full-grown length of about 16 inches. | | Posted Mar 9, 2009 4:39 pm |
| Ejnar Fjerdingstad | I she | | 
Voted 10/10 | pregnant/with eggs with that big belly, or do they always look like that? | | Posted Mar 10, 2009 1:41 pm |
| | Day Hiker | Re: I she | |
Hasn't voted | That large belly is a distinctive characteristic of the chuckwalla. It is its normal physique -- an American thing, probably.
Chuckwallas are herbivorous, occasionally eating insects also. My brother told me that it is typical for herbivorous lizards to have larger bellies to accommodate their diet. | | Posted Mar 10, 2009 9:38 pm |
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