The Arizona Game and Fish Department currently protects the South Mountain chuckwallas from collectors. The department supports Flowers' research effort. The ASU scientist observes and collects live specimens. He also does radio tracking. Flowers says that chuckwalla color patterns offer an ideal trait for investigating female preferences.
Males possess conspicuous orange color tail patterns in some populations.
The typical tail color is white. South Mountain chuckwallas are unique. The entire tail on most males is bright orange. Flowers converted his Tempe backyard into a chuckwalla enclosure. He wants to know if female chuckwallas prefer one color tail to another.