chuckwalla
Rock crevice dweller
A chuckwalla is a large, stocky lizard native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and Mexico.
When threatened, it wedges itself into rock crevices and inflates its body, making extraction nearly impossible.
Chuckwallas are herbivorous and can grow over a foot long.
Cold-blooded scaled vertebrate
- lizardFour-legged scaled reptile
- squamataScaled reptile order
- vertebrateSpinal column animal
- herpetologyStudy of reptiles, amphibians
Plates or weighing devices
- ectothermicTemperature set by surroundings
- cold-bloodedUnfeeling or externally heated
- tailRear animal appendage
- clawsAnimal gripping nails
shedding · dewlap · loose skin · inflation · thermoregulation · basking · sunning · heat absorption
To leave behind completely
- aridDevoid of water
- rockyCovered with stones
- boulderLarge weathered stone
- outcropSurfacing native stone
lava flow · creosote · cacti · succulents · mesa · arroyo · southwestern · burrow
Plant-only consumer
- foliagePlant's leafy covering
- leavesTree's photosynthetic organs
- flowersPlant reproductive structures
- fruitEdible plant ovary
desert plants · browse · buds · shoots · succulents · vegetation
reptile
Cold-blooded scaled vertebrate
- lizardFour-legged scaled reptile
- squamataScaled reptile order
- vertebrateSpinal column animal
scales
Plates or weighing devices
- ectothermicTemperature set by surroundings
- cold-bloodedUnfeeling or externally heated
- tailRear animal appendage
claws · shedding · dewlap · loose skin · inflation · thermoregulation · basking · sunning · heat absorption · rock crevice
desert
To leave behind completely
outcrop · lava flow · creosote · cacti · succulents · mesa · arroyo · southwestern · burrow · crevice
herbivore
Plant-only consumer
fruit · desert plants · browse · buds · shoots · succulents · vegetation
traditional hunting
Time-honored prey pursuit
- desert survivalLiving through barren conditions
- reptileslizard, snake, turtle, crocodile, alligator
- desert lifecamel, cactus, scorpion, rattlesnake, sidewinder
- lizardslizard, lizards, gecko, geckos, chameleon
- Colorado DesertCoachella Valley, Colorado River, cholla, barrel cactus, bighorn sheep
- desert reptilessidewinder, Gila monster, desert tortoise, horned lizard, sand viper
- Southwest WildlifeGila monster, roadrunner, javelina, coyote, sidewinder