Chuckwallas are large vegetarian lizards that escape their predators by wedging themselves into rock crevices and then puffing themselves up with air so that they can't be pulled out. This one must have thought we were predators because it found a crevice to occupy as soon as we got a few steps nearer.

Most reference works still use the name Sauromalus obesus for this species.

This morning hike was chuckwalla heaven. Chuckwallas like to be nice and warm before they clamber about chomping on desert vegetation, so they spend mornings basking in the sun. We must have timed our hike just perfectly: chuckwallas were everywhere (we counted 36), and many of them were not yet sufficiently warm to run off when we got near.

The first one pictured above is a youngster; the second one is an adult female. Youngsters and adult females are distinguished mainly by size. They both have solid tan bodies and banded tails.

The next two above are adult males, which have dark red backs, light tails, and black heads and legs. (Actually, this color pattern is the rule for the area where I saw these, but populations of chuckwallas in other areas sometimes have different coloration.)

The first of the two males above has seen me draw near and has flattened his body against the rock. He would probably have dashed into a crevice had I gotten any closer. The second of the two males above was not so shy. I kept getting closer and closer without him moving. Finally I grabbed him and admired his leathery skin and sharp sharp nails for a few minutes before releasing him back to his rock. That was enough to wake him up properly -- he raced a few feet away and gave me a dirty look until I left.

My wife, our four dogs, and I stopped for an hour or so at Alabama Hills while heading up U.S. 395 so I could do a little lizard photography. The finest lizard of the hour was this wary chuckwalla.

Chuckwallas are among the largest lizards in the U.S., probably second only to Gila monsters among native lizards. I think they indisputably have the most entertaining name of any American lizard though. "Chuckwalla". Try saying it ten times quickly. It's just funny.