They are stout , pudgy , miniature dinosaurs , they can blow themselves up with air , love to bask in 120 plus temperatures , and nibble on leaves and plants as their primary diet . Can you guess which animal we are featuring ? Meet our pair of Chuckwallas , Sauromalus ater , who came here from the Phoenix Zoo . Their names are “ Chuck ” ( male ) and “ Walla ” ( female ). The taxonomic name of this lizard translates to flat lizard , and for an animal that loves to cram itself in rocky crevices , it ' s perfect ! If they feel threatened , they will blow themselves up with air and wedge themselves in so tightly that it ’ s nearly impossible to extricate them .

Our pair of Chucks ( as they are often referred to by herpetologists ) reside in our South Exhibit Hall ( aka the classroom ). You ’ ll often see them basking under their warm heat lamps or nibbling on their daily salad made fresh by our amazing staff , volunteers , and college interns . Now that Chuck and Walla are reaching maturity , we are starting to see reproductive behavior and we hope to have viable eggs this summer .

The Chuckwalla has a distribution that ranges from eastern California , Utah , Arizona , Nevada , Baja California , and Sonora , Mexico . One way to differentiate male from female chuckwallas are the bright red / orange hues on males . Males are also a little larger . In the wild , these herbivores consume various leaves , fruit , and flowers from desert-dwelling plants and many seek the yellow flowers of the brittlebush . It ’ s not uncommon to see a Chuckwalla catch and consume insects that provide an important source of protein .

Male chuckwallas exhibit an entertaining behavior where they will guard their territory ( typically a large rock ) by doing push-ups , head-bobbing , and gaping their mouth . It ’ s quite a sight ! There are five species of Chuckwallas . Ours is the common chuckwalla , but there is nothing common about their personable nature ! Come by and check them out !

FAMILY FUN BEACH CAMP OUT ( ALL AGES ) OCTOBER 1 - 2 Bring the family down to Forest Park Beach for a night of camping . Pitch a tent and enjoy an evening of family fun that you decide on ! The Wildlife Discovery Staff will host an animal show and you will then plan out the rest of your evening including planning on bringing your own meals and refreshments ( dinner on Sat and breakfast on Sun ). This is the only night of the year that camping is allowed on the Lake Forest Beach so , don ’ t miss out on this unique family bonding experience ! NOTE : If you have participated in this event in prior years , this is a scaled down version so please note that you will provide your own meals and entertainment other than the animal show . This program will be supervised by a staff person from the Wildlife Discovery Center . You ' ll have access to grills ( bring your own charcoal ) and the fire pit which will be stocked with wood .

CODE DAYS DATES TIME R / NR 30390101-01 Sa , Su Oct 1 - Oct 2 5:00 pm - 8:00 am $ 150 /$ 180

CROCTOBERFEST ( ALL AGES ) ALL SUNDAYS IN OCTOBER During the month of October we will be celebrating the world of crocodiles and raising money for " Project Llanos " which is a conservation effort to save the critically endangered Orinoco Crocodile . The WDC is raising two baby Orinoco Crocodiles that will one day be released in remote rivers in Venezuela in an effort to ensure the survival of this species . We will have a variety of children ' s and family activities on Sundays during October between 11 am - 1 pm , so come on out and enjoy a great time ! More information will be shared on our Facebook page : FACEBOOK . COM / WILDLIFEDISCOVERYCENTER .

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