83 Chuckwalla Facts: Habitat, Lifespan, Diet And Much More

The chuckwalla is primarily found in arid regions of rocky hillsides southwest of the United States and Mexico.

The common chuckwalla is usually brown or dark grey, and they are approximately 20 in (1.6 ft) in size, with an average life span of 25 years.

Reptiles are a combination of scales and bony plates. They are air-breathing creatures covered with particular skin, including turtles, lizards, snakes, and crocodiles. Reptiles don't maintain their internal body temperatures like birds and mammals.

Reptiles have internal fertilization and epidermal scales that cover part or all of their bodies. The lizard is one such reptile.

Reptiles are primarily found in the Mojave Desert and Sonoran Deserts. The Sonoran Desert is the hottest desert, covering 12000 sq mi (31079.8 sq km) in North America. The southwest of the United States has chuckwalla as the second-largest lizard, whereas the first is the Gila lizard.

If you love this article and want to know more about reptiles read our articles on the best pet lizards and gecko vs. lizards.

Fun Facts About Chuckwalla

The common chuckwalla is a giant desert lizard. The common lizard is commonly found in northern Mexico and the southern USA. Chuckwalla lizards have flat bodies with large, round bellies and thick tails. Loose folds of skin define the neck and sides of bodies.

Adult males have black shoulder heads while females are brownish with scattered red spots. Chuckwalla lizard species can reach up to 16 in (40.64 cm) and 2 lbs (907 g) in weight, whereas females are smaller when compared to large, male common chuckwalla.

Common chuckwallas usually dwell amongst rocks. Even though they love swimming, they spend most of their life on the ground. This large lizard is found in tunnels or holes.

The common chuckwalla changes its skin color and blends with its surroundings. Chuckwallas do hibernate during cooler months and become active in February.

Their mating season is from April to July. Common chuckwallas live in the southwest, mainly in the state of Arizona.

They are uncommon to the Panorama Desert in Arizona and Mohave Desert in California. They are, however, found in Lake Powell in the Grand Canyon and desert areas along the Colorado River.

They are very easy to take care of if someone wants to have them as a pet, as they never bite and they are very friendly which makes it a joy to handle these western reptiles. Did you know that chuckwalla lizards re-grow their teeth if they lose one inside their mouths?

Most of the common chuckwallas have a great sense of taste along with their sense of smell. Male chuckwallas look pretty different from female chuckwallas, where males have yellow or orange colors across their bodies. Most chuckwallas are active and maintain their body temperatures between 35-40 C (95-104 F).

Female chuckwallas are long-living even if they don't breed every year. They lay 5-16 eggs every time they breed, which happens in mid to late summer. Eggs hatch in winter, fall, or even spring.

Worrying Facts About Chuckwalla

Common chuckwallas belong to the genus Sauromalus, and chuckwallas are found in ample amounts. There is no need for a conservation status for chuckwalla as they are not an endangered species.

Even though chuckwalla species are common in many areas, excessive accretion and habitat elimination threaten the population in some places. The common chuckwalla is not a threatened species as they are non-venomous and poisonous.

There are three venomous species of lizard. When we talk about other lizards, significant parts are not poisonous, as they don't have glands that produce venom.

The chuckwalla looks like a wart snake; they also have loose skin around their neck and sides of their body. Chuckwallas identically looked like lava flow, rock outcrops, and boulder piles.

Whenever it feels threatened, it will camouflage itself into rock and inflate itself by inhaling a lot of air, which helps counter its predators. Sometimes chuckwallas lose their tails when they feel threatened.

Facts About The Chuckwalla's Diet

Chuckwallas are herbivorous. They eat all kinds of leaves, fruit, and creosote bush. Occasional insects are also part of their diet. They mainly prefer yellow desert flowers.

As they belong to deserted areas, they adopted eating green plants available in the desert. Chuckwallas get hydrated from the food that they eat. Chuckwallas are known to drink water from puddles that form after a rainstorm.

If you want to have a chuckwalla as a pet, you might be wondering what they should feed on when living in a home. The chuckwalla mainly eats a combination of dark, leafy vegetables like collard greens, chard, kale, mustard, and cabbage which is finely chopped.

Cilantro and parsley are used occasionally.

When it comes to fruits, kiwi, strawberries, mango, apples, pears, and grapes, can be fed to chuckwallas and they can even be given birdseed and lentils occasionally. Mostly their diet should be filled with greens more than fruit due to the high sugar content.

Facts About The Chuckwalla's Habitat

There are so many common chuckwalla species that are primarily found in northern Mexico and southwestern Mexico. Chuckwallas primarily live in Arizona. Chuckwalla can also be found in the Lake Powell area, the Grand Canyon, and desert areas along the Colorado River.

Common chuckwalla also stays in the deserts of the USA and Mexico. Rocky areas of deserts are the main areas where they stay. Chuckwallas are very gentle and run to rocks and piles of debris when they feel threatened.

When we talk about chuckwallas, there are six common chuckwallas species found in both Mexico and the United States. Peninsular chuckwallas are found in Baja, California.

The Angel Island chuckwalla, also known as spiny chuckwalla, is found on small islands in the Gulf of California. Santa Catalina chuckwalla, also known as spotted chuckwalla, are also found in Baja, California, and the Gulf of California.

San Esteban chuckwalla, also known as pinto chuckwalla, are found on San Esteban Island, California. Finally, Monserrat chuckwalla, also known as the Slevin's chuckwalla, is found on three islands in the Cortes Sea.

Chuckwallas fight with other chuckwallas for their territorial rights, often based on the weight and size of fighting males. If we have to talk about the conservation status of chuckwallas, a common chuckwalla, is within the least concerned category.

The piebald chuckwalla (Sauromalus varius) and the Catalina chuckwalla are vulnerable, while the Slevin's chuckwalla is threatened. Of all species, the spiny chuckwalla is an endangered species.

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