Favorite Photos - New Mexico Whiptail Lizard An interesting lizard with a very long tail. Here’s some information from Alchetron.com: “The New Mexico whiptail (Cnemidophorus neomexicanus) is a female-only species of lizard found in the southern United States in New Mexico and Arizona, and in northern Mexico in Chihuahua. It is the official state reptile of New Mexico. It is one of many lizard species known to be parthenogenic. Individuals of the species can be created either through the hybridization of the little striped whiptail (C. inornatus) and the western whiptail (C. tigris), or through the parthenogenic reproduction of an adult New Mexico whiptail… Like most other whiptail lizards, the New Mexico whiptail is diurnal and insectivorous. They are wary, energetic, and fast moving, darting for cover if approached. They are found in a wide variety of semi-arid habitats, including grassland, rocky areas, shrubland, or mountainside woodlands. Reproduction occurs through parthenogenesis, with up to four unfertilized eggs being laid in mid summer, and hatching approximately eight weeks later… Despite reproducing asexually, and being an all-female species, the whiptail still engages in mating behavior with other females of its own species, giving rise to the common nickname "lesbian lizards". A common theory is that this behavior stimulates ovulation, as those who do not "mate" do not lay eggs.” - Alchetron.com #FavoritePhotos #NewMexicoWhiptail #WhiptailLizard #ReproducesThroughParthenogenesis #ParthenogeneticLizard #NewMexicoStateLizard #Lizards #Naturalist #PhotoByJeriRae (at Santa Fe, New Mexico) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClCOVZdPZ5I/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
