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Mechanism of defensive inflation in the chuckwalla,Sauromalus obesus

✍ Scribed by Deban, Stephen M. ;O'Reilly, James C. ;Theimer, Tad

Book ID
102893152
Publisher
John Wiley and Sons
Year
1994
Tongue
English
Weight
868 KB
Volume
270
Category
Article
ISSN
0022-104X

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✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The chuckwalla, Sauromalus obesus, avoids predation by wedging itself in a rock crevice and inflating its lungs beyond their normal inspiratory volume. Buccal and pulmonary pressures were recorded in S. obesus during defensive inflation and wedging. Maximum pulmonary pressure generated during defensive wedging was significantly higher and was achieved faster than that of nonwedging inflation. During inflation and wedging, S. obesus forces air into the lungs by pulsatile contraction of the buccal cavity. Buccal pulse pumping is an ancestral ventilation behavior of vertebrates that S. obesus uses for defensive inflation. Β© Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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## FOUR FIGURES Sauromalus obesus Baird, popularly known as the chuckwalla, is a large desert lizard common in many localities of southwestern United States. This species is a vegetarian in contrast with Heloderma which, according to Van Denburgh ('22) prefers birds' eggs and young rodents when th