Sauromalus ater

lot of focus in evolutionary research. Chuckwallas is the name of organisms in the Sauromalus genus apart of the Iguanidae family. They are herbivorous lizards commonly found in the deserts of southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. Three species, in particular, are found on the islands off the cost of the mainland within the Sea of Cortés: Sauromalus obesus (= ater), Sauromalus varius, and Sauromalus hispidus (see Figure 2 on page 20). S. obesus is a common species found on the mainland

Population-level studies have helped to explain the constraints that natural selection has on conspicuous coloration. For example, populations of chuckwallas (Sauromalus obesus) that suffered greater rates of predation were more drably colored than those who did not (Kwiatkowski 2003). Even though there is an abundance of evidence that sexual selection and species recognition favor conspicuous coloration, there