I watched the males fight and quantified their color patterns. Chuckwallas are secretive reptiles. Gathering enough data through observation of individual animals takes time. The ASU researcher says that the battles between male chuckwallas can be an amazing spectacle. Chuckwallas also make interesting social displays.
Fighting is the ultimate part of social interaction between the males.
But they will try to solve issues before fighting. They puff up their bodies and go through other physical displays, including what appears to be a series of rapid pushups. Flowers logs his observations into a computer database. He uses the computer to compare behavior, such as the number of pushups done among individual chuckwallas over a certain time period. Interactions with his study subjects can be more painful.