[2][3] The common name "chuckwalla" derives from the Shoshone word tcaxxwal or Cahuilla čaxwal, transcribed by Spaniards as chacahuala.

[5] Loose folds of skin characterize the neck and sides of their bodies, which are covered in small, coarsely granular scales.

[5] The peninsular chuckwalla (S. australis) is found on the eastern portion of the southern half of the Baja California Peninsula.

Chuckwallas prefer lava flows and rocky areas[5] typically vegetated by creosote bush and other such drought-tolerant scrub.

[5] Primarily herbivorous, chuckwallas feed on leaves, fruit, and flowers of annuals and perennial plants; insects represent a supplementary prey.

[5] Chuckwallas use a combination of color and physical displays, namely "push-ups", head-hobbing, and gaping of the mouth, to communicate and defend their territory.

[9] They are believed to have translocated the lizards to most of the islands in Bahia de los Angeles for use as a food source in times of need.