Desert Grassland Whiptail
Aspidoscelis uniparens
- Class
- Reptile
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 936
- Most observed in
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The desert grassland whiptail lizard (Aspidoscelis uniparens) is an all-female species of reptiles in North America. It was formerly placed in the genus Cnemidophorus. A common predator of the whiptail lizard is the leopard lizard that preys on A. uniparens by using ambush and stalk hunting tactics. These reptiles reproduce by parthenogenesis. In this process, eggs undergo a chromosome doubling after meiosis, developing into lizards without being fertilized. However, ovulation is enhanced by female-female courtship and mating (pseudo-copulation) rituals that resemble the behavior of closely related species that reproduce sexually.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Desert grassland whiptail lizard”.