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or sometimes pronounced "Chuckuwalla"...where did it come from? Is it a native american word? If so, what tribe? Does it have a "meaning"?

Its a combination of Shoshone, Cahuilla, Spanish, and English, kind of a hybrid name. I think the Indian words kept getting mispronounced, first by the Spanish, then by English speakers, and the original meaning was probably lost along the way as well. I'm not sure what it means, but I do know that the Shoshone ate chucks.

It probably means, "tastes like chicken." LOL Thank you for that information!

http://www.answers.com/topic/chuckwalla

Bravo, Tom! That is a very good way to search for "stuff". Thanks for sharing. Also, kudos to the knowledgeable Rosebuds!
Anybody else want to jump in here and give your guess about the possible translation of the native Cahuilla word? (Besides, "tastes like chicken" Maybe, "Food source wedged in rocks"? LOL

By the way, where is Eve when you REALLY NEED her? You'd think she'd be over here objecting to Chuckwallas being named after some plat du jour. Probably beating about the bush on the Collared Lizard Forum. Just kidding, Eve! LOL

LOL! You're probably right!

That is too funny.

"Desert Indians all eat chuckwallas, big black and white lizards that have delicate white flesh savored like chicken," wrote Mary Hunter Austin in her novel about the Shoshone, The Land of Little Rain (1903).

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LOL! Tastes like chicken . . .