Chuckwalla

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chuckwalla
Chuckwalla

Chuckwalla

Systematics
Superordinate : Scale lizards (Lepidosauria)
Order : Scale reptiles (Squamata)
Family : Iguanas (Iguanidae)
Genre : Chuckwallas ( Sauromalus )
Type : Chuckwalla
Scientific name
Sauromalus ater
Duméril , 1856

The Chuckwalla ( Sauromalus ater , Syn .: Sauromalus obesus ) is a 28–43 centimeter long member of the iguanas family . The weight of the individual animals is between 0.5 and 1.5 kilograms.

Appearance

These animals have a brown to black, smooth scale dress without thorns or combs and a round body. The neck is wrinkled. The long, thick tail is pale yellow. They have long, strong claws on their front and rear legs. The skull is flat and there are strong bulges above the eyes. The males are slightly darker than the females and have a few red or yellow spots on the top of the body. The females and young animals have thick, dark horizontal stripes on their bodies. In the folds of the skin on the sides of the body there are lymph glands where they can store moisture.

habitat

Distribution map of the Chuckwalla

It occurs in the deserts of the US states of Nevada , Utah , Arizona , California and northern Mexico . She prefers rocky terrain or canyons.

Way of life

a chuckwalla in its natural desert habitat

They are only active during the day, but avoid the extreme heat and crawl into crevices when night falls. The Chuckwalla feeds exclusively on leaves, and flower buds from succulents . When they feel threatened, they flee into narrow crevices and inflate their bodies by swallowing air. This makes it difficult for a predator to get them out again.

Reproduction

The female lays her eggs, which are 2.3 centimeters long and are protected by a hard leather cover, in the sandy soil under stones. The eggs need a constant incubation temperature of 32 ° C. A clutch of 5–16 eggs is only laid every 2 years. The young hatch after about 50 days. When hatching, the body length of the young is 7.5 centimeters.

Hazards and protective measures

Since no threats are known for this species and it also occurs in protected areas, it is listed by the IUCN as ( Least Concern ) safe.

literature

  • Jiří Felix: The animal world of America in color p. 122 Arita, Prague 1989, from the Czech by Jaroslav Konšal Karl Müller Verlag Erlangen
  • Fascination Animal World p. 147 Neuer Honos Verlag Cologne 2000 ISBN 978-3829904780
  • The great world empire of animals p. 416,417 Publisher: Planet Medien AG Zug 1997 ISBN 3-8247-8614-1
  • The colorful lexicon of animals p. 76,77 FX Schmid GmbH 2013 ISBN 978-3-8380-2035-8
  • Animals The large picture encyclopedia with over 2000 species p. 416 Dorling Kindersley Verlag GmbH, Munich 2001, 2006, 2012 ISBN 978-3-8310-2232-8
  • The big book of the animal world p. 516 Weltbild Verlag Augsburg 1993 ISBN 3-89350-374-9
  • Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians p. 135 Bechtermünz Verlag Augsburg 2002 ISBN 978-3828915596

Web links

Commons : Chuckwalla  - collection of images, videos and audio files