Angel Island chuckwalla
Angel Island chuckwalla[1] | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Iguania |
Family: | Iguanidae |
Genus: | Sauromalus |
Species: | S. hispidus
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Binomial name | |
Sauromalus hispidus Stejneger , 1891 | |
The Angel Island chuckwalla (Sauromalus hispidus), also known as the spiny chuckwalla, is a species of chuckwalla lizard belonging to the family Iguanidae endemic to Isla Ángel de la Guarda (Guardian Angel Island) in the Gulf of California. The species was transported to other islands by a tribe of the Seri as a potential food source.
Taxonomy and etymology
The
The common name chuckwalla derives from the Shoshone word tcaxxwal or Cahuilla caxwal, transcribed by Spaniards as chacahuala.
Description
The Angel Island chuckwalla is the second-largest species of chuckwalla, reaching 44 cm (17 in) in body length and 64 cm (25 in) overall length, and weighing up to 1.4 kg (3.1 lb).[5] It is considered a gigantic species as it is two to three times the size of its mainland counterparts.[5][7] Its body color is a dark brown color with transverse black bands which fade into a solid darker brown to black color as the animal ages.
Distribution and habitat
The Angel Island chuckwalla is endemic to Isla Ángel de la Guarda and 10 smaller islands in the Gulf of California.[5]
Behavior and reproduction
Harmless to humans, these lizards are known to run from potential threats.[8] When disturbed, the chuckwalla inflates its lungs, distends its body, and wedges itself into a tight rock crevice.[8][9]
Males are seasonally and conditionally territorial; an abundance of resources tends to create a hierarchy based on size, with one large male dominating the area's smaller males.[8] Chuckwallas defend their territory and communicate with one another using a combination of color and physical displays, namely "push ups", head-hobbing, and gaping of the mouth.[8]
Angel Island chuckwallas are
Mating occurs from April to July, with five to 16 eggs laid between June and August. The eggs hatch in late September.[8] Chuckwallas may live for 25 years or more.
Diet
Chuckwallas prefer dwelling in
Human contact
The
References
- ^ "Sauromalus hispidus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
- ^ Montgomery, C.E., Hollingsworth, B., Kartje, M. & Reynoso, V.H. 2019. Sauromalus hispidus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2019: e.T174482A130061591. Downloaded on 19 July 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-12-801960-3.
- ^ Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with the assistance of. Roderick McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
- ^ )
- )
- JSTOR 1564196.
- ^ ISBN 0-395-98272-3
- ^ Deban, S.M., J.C. O’Reilly, and T.C. Theimer 1994. Mechanism of defensive inflation in the chuckwalla, Sauromalus obesus. Journal of Experimental Zoology 270: 451-459.
- ^ Richard Felger and Mary B. Moser (1985) People of the desert and sea: ethnobotany of the Seri Indians Tucson: University of Arizona Press.