Properties of reptilian blood. III. The chuckwalla (sauromalus obesus baird)
✍ Scribed by Dill, D. B. ;Edwards, H. T. ;Bock, A. V. ;Talbott, J. H.
- Publisher
- Wiley (John Wiley & Sons)
- Year
- 1935
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 223 KB
- Volume
- 6
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0095-9898
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✦ Synopsis
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 they can be found. Sauromalus has the reputation of unusual ability to withstand high temperature. Thus Camp ( '16) noticed males in pursuit of one another on a hot July day and some individuals sitting on rocks unbearably hot to the hand.l We caught one specimen near Boulder City, Nevada, at midday when the air temperature was 44°C. An experiment was 'This statement by Camp is quoted by Woodbury ('31), who adds in a personal communication that on hot summer mornings the chuckwalla and the desert tortoise are abroad, but both of them seek shelter long before midday, the tortoise earlier than the chuckwalla. 37 LITERATURE CITED CAMP, C. L. 1916 Notes on the local distribution and habits of the amphibians and reptiles of southeastern California in the vicinity of the Turtle