Ernie Cowan's Outdoors column
Snapping back to reality, I realized I was face to face with one of nature’s unique desert creatures, a chuckwalla lizard.Like the lizard, I was sitting on a boulder enjoying the warmth of the winter sun during my annual New Year’s Day desert hike, only slightly delayed this year by winter storms and a pesky holiday flu.
He was in his element, and if I sat still, he wasn’t threatened. Had that been the case, he would have quickly vanished into the many crags available in the boulder pile.This large lizard, up to 20 inches in length, is found only in rocky places, lava flows and boulder fields in Southwestern deserts where they primarily feed on the yellow flowers, fruit and waxy leaves of creosote but also desert annuals and occasionally insects.
If a predator approaches, the chuckwalla will scamper into a narrow crevice and begin gulping air, inflating its wrinkled body like a balloon until firmly wedged in the rocks. Just like you on a cold morning, they enjoy absorbing the warmth of sunshine, and those are the best times to be out looking for them.
It was time to leave, and my hike had served its purpose. I was energized and pleased at having made a new friend.
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