Chuckwalla

Genus Sauromalus

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re talking about chuckwallas. Don’t scamper off with subscribing, and thank you to MyOnyxWolf for today’s request! Chuckwallas are sometimes confused with the similar-looking and slightly larger gila monster, however, chuckwallas aren’t venomous and are scaredy cats more than anything else. Chuckwallas live in rocky deserts of the southern United States and northern Mexico. There are five species of chuckwallas with common chuckwallas being the most widespread. The other species almost exclusively live on islands in that region. Some of the island dwelling chuckwallas are thought to exhibit island gigantism which is basically a phenomenon in nature when individuals cut off from the mainland grow to larger sizes than their mainland counterparts. The largest chuckwalla is the piebald chuckwalla which can reach about two and a half feet (76 centimeters) in length including its tail, though on average chuckwallas reach just over a foot in length (30.5 centimeters), and half of that goes to their stubby tipped tails.

Chuckwallas come in a variety of colors which may change based on the season, the air temperature, or even their moods. Male chuckwallas are usually slightly larger than females and they often have wider heads. It’s been suggested that males have wider heads so they can bite down with more force. Now, as vegetarians, this isn’t really helpful in collecting food, but it’s a great method for fending off rival males from their territories. Male chuckwallas usually have separate territories that overlap with the territories of a handful of females. During breeding season, which usually happens in the early spring, male chuckwallas will bob and weave their heads to entice the females in their home ranges. If the females are accepting and ready to mate, they’ll do so, though it’s believed that females may only reproduce every other year. It takes about a month before a female chuckwalla lays her eggs in a burrow which she’ll guard for the next two months until the babies hatch. When the babies hatch, they're on their own, and it takes a few years before they’re ready to reproduce. In the wild, chuckwallas can live more than a decade, though they live even longer in captivity.

The daily life of a chuckwalla differs depending on the season. Those living in more northern areas may brumate over the colder months, and during the hottest months chuckwallas may go through periods of inactivity, as well. When the weather is fair, they’ll wake up in the morning, leave their burrow, and spend the first few hours soaking up the sun. After this they may go about eating various flowers, leaves, grasses, seeds, and other plant materials. They have to stay vigilant to avoid predators such as red-tailed hawks, coyotes, snakes, and other meanies. Chuckwallas have a great method for getting away from these threats, though: they blow themselves up! If a chuckwalla senses danger, it’ll make a beeline for its burrow or any other tight ricky outcropping. Once wedged in as far as it’s able to fit is squishy body, the chuckwalla will inflate its lungs to make it basically impossible to remove from the shelter - it’s kind of like how the triggerfish we’ve previously discussed wedge themselves in rocks. Once blown up, the chuckwalla is usually safe from harm!

For more facts on chuckwallas, check out the links in the description. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.