San Esteban Island chuckwalla  (Sauromalus varius)

The precise threats to the San Esteban Island chuckwalla are unknown, although historically it has been widely captured for the burgeoning United States pet trade (6).

Chuckwallas have been maintained in captivity at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (ASDM) since 1977 (9), where there have been ongoing studies of the species' behaviour and reproductive biology within the large breeding colony held there (10). The San Esteban Island chuckwalla is listed on Appendix I of CITES, banning all international trade in the species (3).