Now that the partying from the weekend festivities is completely over, well it should be by now, it is time to get serious about our Wild Facts. Okay, I am just messing with you, I am not usually known for being serious. In fact, I chose today’s animal simply because I loved saying its name. Go ahead and say Chuckwalla! Fun, isn’t it? To me it sounds like a bad cross between  a Chumbawamba and Dishwalla song but it is entertaining, just like “Tubthumping”. In fact, this song would be perfect considering how many people probably had a few drinks this past weekend. Let’s take a short break to listen to this one hit wonder and reconvene in 3 minutes and 42 seconds.

See, it is a horrible song but incredibly entertaining.  Now where were we?  Oh yeah the Chuckwalla! The Chuckwalla is a large lizard, which is part of the Iguana family and is commonly found in the Southern USA and Northern Mexico. Much like the Wart Snake, they also have a lot of loose skin, which forms folds around their neck and sides of their body. Perhaps they are also trying to hide a bulky stomach?

When a Chuckwalla is threatened they will typically run away, which is a smart strategy. If the simple run away method doesn’t work they will actually lodge themselves into the crevice of a rock and inflate their stomach by gulping in air.  This is incredibly fascinating and ensures that the predator will not be able to pull out their scrumptious dinner. How about that, another animal that is conscious about their weight and tries hard to hide it so they can fit in.

The male Chuckwalla is pretty territorial during certain times of the year and will typically try all kinds of things to defend his special territory. For example they will do push-ups, bob their head and widely open their mouth all in an attempt to warn other lizards to back off.  To me, it just sounds like a normal day at the gym. You think with all those push-ups they wouldn’t have to worry about a few extra pounds.

Okay, so that does it for Reptile Tuesdays.  Actually, we have been talking about reptiles all week. I will make sure to mix things up for Wednesday’s Wild Fact so make sure you tune in.  Enjoy the rest of your day.