chuckwallas
Plump Southwestern lizards
Chuckwallas are large, stocky lizards native to the deserts of the American Southwest and Mexico.
They're known for wedging themselves into rock crevices and inflating their bodies to avoid being pulled out by predators.
The name comes from a Spanish rendering of a Shoshone word.
We spotted a chuckwalla sunning itself on a boulder.
Large crested American lizard
- scalesPlates or weighing devices
- tailRear animal appendage
- geckoClimbing lizard with toe pads
- skinkSleek burrowing lizard
cold-blooded · ectotherm · herpetology · shedding · molting · saurian · vertebrate · oviparous
Fill with gas
- wedgeTapered splitting tool
- creviceNarrow opening in surface
- puffBrief burst of air
- expansionIncrease in scope
predator · hiding · retreat · lodging · protection · escape · threat · survival
Devoid of water
- cactiSpiny water-storing plants
- creosoteCoal-tar distillate for preservation
- mesaFlat-topped steep-sided elevation
- butteIsolated flat-topped hill
canyon · rocky · crevice · outcrop · boulder · sunbaked · drought · heat
Radiance from our star
- warmthHeat you feel
- thermoregulationMaintaining stable internal heat
- sunningExposing oneself to warmth
- heatTransferred thermal energy
rocks · solar · exposure · temperature · metabolism · lethargy · torpor · morning
Plant's leafy covering
- plantsPhotosynthesizing rooted organisms
- leavesTree's photosynthetic organs
- flowersPlant reproductive structures
- fruitEdible plant ovary
vegetation · grazing · foraging · herbaceous · desert plants · creosote · brittlebush · browse
iguana
Large crested American lizard
skink · cold-blooded · ectotherm · herpetology · shedding · molting · saurian · vertebrate · oviparous · claws
inflate
Fill with gas
expansion · predator · hiding · retreat · lodging · protection · escape · threat · survival
arid
Devoid of water
- cactiSpiny water-storing plants
- creosoteCoal-tar distillate for preservation
- mesaFlat-topped steep-sided elevation
butte · canyon · rocky · crevice · outcrop · boulder · sunbaked · drought · heat · scrubland
sunlight
Radiance from our star
- warmthHeat you feel
- thermoregulationMaintaining stable internal heat
- sunningExposing oneself to warmth
heat · rocks · solar · exposure · temperature · metabolism · lethargy · torpor · morning · afternoon
foliage
Plant's leafy covering
- plantsPhotosynthesizing rooted organisms
- leavesTree's photosynthetic organs
- flowersPlant reproductive structures
fruit · vegetation · grazing · foraging · herbaceous · desert plants · creosote · brittlebush · browse · succulent
chuckwallasglass lizards
Legless lizard species
legless lizards · monitor lizards · Komodo dragons · anoles · racers
chuckwallasGila monsters
Venomous North American lizards
Komodo dragons · rattlesnakes · coral snakes · cobras · venomous snakes