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A dark common chuckwalla with a reddish tail on a pale rock.
Photo: Kaldari, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Common Chuckwalla

Sauromalus ater

A chunky desert lizard of the American Southwest that wedges itself into rock cracks by puffing up its body.

🦎 Lizards
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About the Common Chuckwalla

Common chuckwallas grow over 15 inches long, and half of that is tail. They live in rocky deserts of southeastern California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah, western Arizona and northwestern Mexico. They eat leaves and fruit of creosote bush and other plants, and get the water they need from their food. Their color can change with temperature, place and mood.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Sauromalus ater[1]
Size
Over 15 inches long, half of it tail.[1]
Lifespan
About 15 years in the wild. One lived 65 years in human care.[1]
Diet
Mostly leaves and fruit of desert plants, sometimes insects.[1]
Habitat
Rocky deserts with crevices, from sea level to 4,500 feet.[1]
Where it lives
Southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico.[1]
Group life
Solitary. Active during the day; hibernates in winter.[1]
Babies
5 to 16 eggs in an underground nest.[1]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2007).[2]

Fun facts

  • Chuckwallas puff up to wedge themselves into rock cracks.[1]
  • They get all the water they need from plants.[1]
  • One chuckwalla lived to be 65 years old.[1]

Vocabulary

crevice
A narrow crack in rock.
bask
To lie in the sun to warm up.
hibernate
To spend the winter in a deep, inactive sleep.
camouflage
Colors or patterns that help an animal blend in.
diurnal
Active mainly during the day.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Francisco Zoo & Gardens. “Common chuckwalla.” https://www.sfzoo.org/common-chuckwalla/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Sauromalus ater (Common Chuckwalla).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/64054/12740491 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

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