Arizona: Wild Chuckwallas!

Chuckwallas can be found at South Mountian Park in Phoenix, Arizona. This video is from my visit to the park in Phoenix, Arizona on June 8, 2009. When I first ran into this guy, he hissed at me really loud - it scared me! It sounded like a snake! He ran and hid in the rocks for a long time, so I had to sit it out for a while, waiting for him to come out. My patience finally paid off. This Chuckwalla finally felt comfortable enough with me around, that he stayed out for at least 20 minutes with me in plain sight and started eating! It was SO cool!

The chuckwalla is the 2nd largest lizard in the southwestern U.S. (after the Gila Monster). Body length is generally 5.5" -8, with a tail of similar length. While basking, chuckwallas spread their body weight (up to 3 lbs.) by pressing against rock, appearing somewhat flatter with a widened girth. Males tend to be slightly larger than females, and are often darker in color as well. Color varies considerably by subspecies (region), but generally includes grey, reddish brown, and/or yellow. Cross banding patterns are found on juveniles and cross bands are often retained into adulthood by females.

GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE AND HABITAT:
Chuckwallas inhabit rocky desert areas in the southwestern U.S. , especially southern Nevada to northwestern Baja, and the desert side of the southern California mountains east to central Arizona. Some also live in drainage areas of the Colorado River in southern Utah and on islands off the coast of Baja. They are found from sea level up to 6000 feet.

DIET:
The chuckwalla diet is somewhat distinctive among desert lizards in that they are almost completely herbivorous. They eat flowers, buds, leaves,and fruit. Favorite foods include the fruit of the prickly pear cactus and yellow flowers. Infrequently, they will consume insects.

LIFE CYCLE/SOCIAL STRUCTURE:
Male chuckwallas are territorial and will defend their territory against other males. It is believed that breeding occurs in early April and May. Eggs (5-16) are laid in rocky crevices by August and the young generally hatch out in late September. Chuckwallas do hibernate in the cold months of the year and emerge from their dens around late February.

SPECIAL ADAPTATIONS:
The loose folds of skin on Chuckwallas (at neck and sides) enable them to climb into a small crevice on a rock face, gulp air to fill their lungs to full capacity and distend their bodies to nearly twice normal girth, so that a predator cannot extricate them. Chuckwallas can modulate their color (somewhat) to better absorb light/heat to regulate their temperature. As diurnal lizards, they are considered one of thehottest lizards because they will bask until their bodies reach 100 to 105 degrees. Like many lizards, chuckwallas are capable of autonomy, so they can break off and re-grow a tail, if necessary, to evade predation. Chuckwallas teeth grow in grooves inside their mouth. If they lose one, they will re grow one to replace it.

INTERPRETIVE INFORMATION::
While basking on open rock faces, the chuckwallas habit of lying almost totally flat provides two advantages. First, this posture enables them to absorb more heat. Second, the low-profile likely affords them greater camouflage from predators, especially air born predators, who will have trouble detecting either a chuckwalla or its shadow. In defending his territory, the male chuckwalla typically stages a bluff battle against a trespasser. By arching his back, lowering his head,and gaping his mouth, he will often intimidate the rival. He may also lash his tail and/or bite, if needed, to defend his territory.

STATUS IN THE WILD:
Chuckwallas are relatively common, especially at the lower elevations in their range.




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[cactushannes]

thats a great vid and i love chuckwallas make more vids about the chucks

best regards john

[FireThunderTV]

cactushannes: Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it. I haven't been to Arizona since I shot this video.

[swriel]

lizards are friends not food faggot. u_u

[FireThunderTV]

swriel: RoFLoL - yea, we don't eat our friends, do we? LoL!

[DiluzionzZ]

You fail the second lizard shown is a desert iguana

[rcshorty7]

@FireThunderTV The desert horned lizard was protected too Then they reproduced like mad and jow they aren't protected anymore

[microiguana]

pretty nice video. I saw a couple of these guys hen I went to joshua tree (ca), including several of a lighter color variation. The one with the spots is a desert iguana, Dipsosaurus dorsalis. They are also herbivores, feeding almost exclusively on creosote bushes, which also provide them shelter. it's the third largest (native) lizard in north america, and can be easily identified by its dorsal spines, as no other species in its range has these. both are awesome lizards.

[ThundergodxRaiden]

@DanBrino

Chuckwallas, genus Saurolmalus, belong to family Iguanidae. Monitors belong in family Varanidae.

However, both families look very similar, and are actually descendants of a common ancestor. Some Iguanids have actually been found to carry the same type of venom as large monitor lizards, albeit in very small or vestigial quantities.

So you were actually fairly close.

[DanBrino]

I found one hiking along the dam at the AZ/NV border once and picked it up, as its escape attempt was very slow, and catching lizards was a hobby of kids my age in that area. But as it breathed heavy in my hand, and was easily a foot and a half long it scared the living shit out of me and I let it go. It took off so slow I almost wanted to catch it again just out of instinct, but didnt. I thought it was a monitor fo the longest time but people told me they dont live around there.

[Akhotnik]

Thats a desert iguana at 0:40 not a chuckwalla lol

[sillyfurby]

When I was in high school, decades ago, I took a chuck to show in biology. The boys wanted to dissect it, so I didn't dare to leave it in a cage till the end of the day. I carried it inside my coat. Only the English teacher wanted to see what I was hiding. when I held the chuck up, she screamed bloody murder. LOL

[DVFDrinkOrDie]

@TheNatureRealm Because you'll never get close enough so don't worry about it.

[DVFDrinkOrDie]

@partyfreakable True. You'll usually find them any place you find chuckwallas.

[partyfreakable]

the spotted one is a desert iguana not a chuckawala

[zachsreptiles]

Chuckwallas are Not a federally protected species....Ive never heard of thet before. Only at South Mtn. are they protected.....

[djsi38t]

Very cool,The closest thing to that in my backyard is a salamander!

[kaiboy42]

That "different type of Chuckwalla" that was lighter and spotted looks alot more like a Desert Iguana which also lives in Arizona than a Chuckwalla.

[FireThunderTV]

TheNatureRealm: Chucks are a federally protected species.

[beaver371]

Don't attempt to touch it? why?

[rwcbanzai]

Thanks for sharing that living dinosaur with claws living in your back yard...

They're harmless lizards that eat creosote bushes & insects.

Never seen the red tailed sub species before... ; )

[cactushannes]

@cactushannes i was in 1998 in the arizona area and its was really beautiful i made in Austria a big Vivarium for my chucks and i breed them best regards

[mmmmmarcus]

@wheelori814 Yes, they are edible. Very fatty, which is what you want in a survival situation.

[wheelori814]

@mmmmmarcus lol im aware gila monsters are protected. Im just asking if its an extreeeeme survival scenario. Lets say the whole 2012 stuff were to happen. Are they edible. Im sure since they are a rarity to even see, there would be plenty of other lizards/snakes to eat, i know i see thousands a year out here. It was just a question. I dont kill animals unless necessary. Had a gila monster in my yard a couple weeks ago, a rattler last year and just encouraged the gila monster to leave.

[mmmmmarcus]

@wheelori814 there are several methods used to catch them. natives will allow chuckwallas to wedge themselves into a crevice, and stab them with something to deflate them, then simply pull them out. Another method is to take the flower-stalk of wild oats, pull all the husks off, until its a single tapering point, then with the point, tie a simple slip-knot-- instant lizard noose, effective for all small lizards. Gila monsters are protected in both california, and arizona. off limits.

[wheelori814]

the way its standing at 7:05 reminds me of a turtle. Just put a imaginary shell on it and wala!

[wheelori814]

@mmmmmarcus I was wondering if you could eat those lol. I live in vail, although i wouldnt go kill one just to see what it taste like, it is good to know what you can eat if it comes down to survival. How do you catch them? They look faster than a gila monster. Can you eat those too?

[sagehopper2006]

The second lizard (spotted) is a Desert Iguana...Chuckwallas are iguanids also.