[chuhk-wah-luh] 
| an iguanid lizard, Sauromalis obesus, of arid parts of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, that feeds on desert plants. |
| chuck·wal·la (chŭk'wŏl'ə) n. A large herbaceous lizard (Sauromalus obesus) of the southwest United States and Mexico, related to the iguana. [American Spanish chacahuala, from Cahuilla tcáxxwal.] |
chuckwalla
any of five species of stocky, slightly flattened lizards belonging to the subfamily Iguaninae (family Iguanidae), found on arid, rocky hills of southwestern North America. The common chuckwalla (S. ater), which occurs in the southwestern United States, reaches 50 cm (20 inches) in length, but some of the species inhabiting islands in the Gulf of California get much larger. All species of chuckwallas are predominantly herbivorous, eating a variety of desert plants, including leaves of the creosote bush (Larrea tridentata). Because lizards cannot digest cellulose, the material in the cell walls of plants, chuckwallas have a rich gut flora of microorganisms that break down the cellulose, making the ingested plant material digestible. Chuckwallas also occasionally eat insects. Most chuckwalla species seek refuge in crevices. A combination of small spiny scales on the dorsal surface and the ability to inflate their bodies render them very difficult to remove once they have wedged themselves in
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