Angel Island Chuckwalla
Encyclopedia
The Angel Island chuckwalla (Sauromalus hispidus) (also known as the spiny chuckwalla) is a species of chuckwalla
belonging to the Iguanidae
family endemic to Isla Ángel de la Guarda
(Angel Island) in the Sea of Cortés. The species was transported to other islands by a tribe of the Seri as a potential food source.
name, sauromalus, is a combination of two Ancient Greek
words:σαῦρος (sauros) meaning "lizard
". and ομαλυς (omalus) meaning "flat". Its specific name hispidus is Latin for "coarse" or "thorny" in reference to the spines on the chuckwalla's tail.
The common name chuckwalla derives from the Shoshone
word "tcaxxwal" or Cahuilla
"caxwal", transcribed by Spaniards
as "chacahuala".
species as it is two to three times the size of its mainland counterparts. Its body color is a dark brown color with tranverse black bands which fade into a solid darker brown to black color as the animal ages.
(Angel Island) and ten smaller islands in the Sea of Cortés.
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. Chuckwallas defend their territory and communicate
with one another using a combination of colour and physical displays, namely "push ups", head-hobbing, and gaping of the mouth.
Angel Island chuckwallas are diurnal
animals and as they are exothermic
, spend much of their mornings and winter days basking. These lizards are well adapted to desert conditions; they are active at temperatures of up to 102°F (39°C).
Mating occurs from April to July, with 5–16 eggs laid between June and August. The eggs hatch in late September. Chuckwallas may live for 25 years or more.
: Isla San Lorenzo Norte, Isla San Lorenzo Sur, and Tiburón Island
by the Seri people for use as a food source in times of need.
Chuckwalla
Chuckwallas are large lizards found primarily in arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Some are found on coastal islands...
belonging to the Iguanidae
Iguanidae
Iguanidae is a family of lizards, composed of iguanas and related species.-Classification of Iguanidae:Two different classification schemes have been used to define the structure of this family. These are the "traditional" classification and the classification presented by Frost et al. .Frost et...
family endemic to Isla Ángel de la Guarda
Isla Ángel de la Guarda
Isla Ángel de la Guarda, also called Archangel Island, and called Xazl Iimt east of Bahía de los Ángeles, and separated from the Baja California Peninsula by the Canal de Ballenas . It is the second largest of the eleven Midriff Islands or Islas Grandes. It is part of the state of Baja California,...
(Angel Island) in the Sea of Cortés. The species was transported to other islands by a tribe of the Seri as a potential food source.
Taxonomy and etymology
The genericGenera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
name, sauromalus, is a combination of two Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
words:σαῦρος (sauros) meaning "lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
". and ομαλυς (omalus) meaning "flat". Its specific name hispidus is Latin for "coarse" or "thorny" in reference to the spines on the chuckwalla's tail.
The common name chuckwalla derives from the Shoshone
Shoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....
word "tcaxxwal" or Cahuilla
Cahuilla
The Cahuilla, Iviatim in their own language, are Indians with a common culture whose ancestors inhabited inland areas of southern California 2,000 years ago. Their original territory included an area of about . The traditional Cahuilla territory was near the geographic center of Southern California...
"caxwal", transcribed by Spaniards
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
as "chacahuala".
Description
The Angel Island chuckwalla is the second largest species of chuckwalla reaching 44 centimetres (17.3 in) in body length, 64 centimetres (25.2 in) overall length and weighing up to 1.4 kilograms (3.1 lb). It is considered a giganticIsland gigantism
Island gigantism or insular giantism is a biological phenomenon in which the size of animals isolated on an island increases dramatically in comparison to their mainland relatives....
species as it is two to three times the size of its mainland counterparts. Its body color is a dark brown color with tranverse 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 GuardaIsla Ángel de la Guarda
Isla Ángel de la Guarda, also called Archangel Island, and called Xazl Iimt east of Bahía de los Ángeles, and separated from the Baja California Peninsula by the Canal de Ballenas . It is the second largest of the eleven Midriff Islands or Islas Grandes. It is part of the state of Baja California,...
(Angel Island) and ten smaller islands in the Sea of Cortés.
Behavior and reproduction
Harmless to humans, these lizards are known to run from potential threats. When disturbed, the chuckwalla will inflate its lungs, distend its body and wedge itself into a tight rock crevice.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. Chuckwallas defend their territory and communicate
Animal communication
Animal communication is any behavior on the part of one animal that has an effect on the current or future behaviour of another animal. The study of animal communication, is sometimes called Zoosemiotics has played an important part in the...
with one another using a combination of colour and physical displays, namely "push ups", head-hobbing, and gaping of the mouth.
Angel Island chuckwallas are diurnal
Diurnal animal
Diurnality is a plant or animal behavior characterized by activity during the day and sleeping at night.-In animals:Animals that are not diurnal might be nocturnal or crepuscular . Many animal species are diurnal, including many mammals, insects, reptiles and birds...
animals and as they are exothermic
Exothermic
In thermodynamics, the term exothermic describes a process or reaction that releases energy from the system, usually in the form of heat, but also in the form of light , electricity , or sound...
, spend much of their mornings and winter days basking. These lizards are well adapted to desert conditions; they are active at temperatures of up to 102°F (39°C).
Mating occurs from April to July, with 5–16 eggs laid between June and August. The eggs hatch in late September. Chuckwallas may live for 25 years or more.
Human use
The Comca’ac considered this species of chuckwalla an important food item. So much so, that the lizards were translocated to most of the islands in Bahia de los AngelesBahía de los Ángeles
' is a coastal bay on the Sea of Cortez, located along the eastern shore of the Baja California Peninsula in the state of Baja California, Mexico...
: Isla San Lorenzo Norte, Isla San Lorenzo Sur, and Tiburón Island
Tiburón Island
Tiburón Island is both the largest island in the Gulf of California and the largest island in Mexico, with an area of . It was made a nature reserve in 1963 by President Adolfo López Mateos. Tiburón is Spanish for shark. The etymology of the Seri name is unknown...
by the Seri people for use as a food source in times of need.