The New Mexico whiptail (Aspidoscelis neomexicanus) is one of the greatest mysteries of nature and it is the official state reptile of New Mexico. It is a female-only species of lizard and doesn't need males in order to reproduce. This whiptail lizard is a crossbreed of a Western whiptail, which lives in the desert, and the Little striped whiptail, which favors grasslands.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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SolitaryHi
HibernatingHibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy charac...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThese fascinating lizards are typically brown or black with seven pale yellow stripes from head to tail. Light-colored spots often occur between the stripes. They have a white or pale blue underside, with a blue or blue-green colored throat. They are slender-bodied, with a long tail that is more commonly blue-green in their infant stage, melding into the same spotted brown and yellow color as they age.
New Mexico whiptails are found in the southwestern United States in New Mexico and Arizona, and northern Mexico in Chihuahua. They live in a wide variety of semi-arid habitats, generally in areas with loose sand including grassland, shrubland, or shrubby edges of desert playas. They may also be found in mountainside pinyon-juniper woodlands.
New Mexico whiptails are solitary and diurnal lizards. They are wary, energetic, and fast-moving, darting for cover if approached. They spend the day constantly moving around digging in the soil in search of food. These lizards are very fast and often run upright on their hind legs. During cold winter months, New Mexico whiptails hibernate in their shelters.
New Mexico whiptails are carnivores (insectivores); their diet consists of ants, termites, moths, grasshoppers, beetles, and other insects.
The New Mexico whiptail is a female-only species that reproduces by producing an egg through parthenogenesis. Individuals of the species can be created either through the hybridization of the Little striped whiptail and the Western whiptail or through the parthenogenic reproduction of an adult New Mexico whiptail. Despite reproducing asexually, and being an all-female species, these lizards still mate with other females of their own species as according to common theory, those that do not "mate" do not lay eggs. New Mexico whiptails lay up to 4 eggs, usually in mid-summer, and hatching occurs approximately 8 weeks later.
There are no major threats facing this species at present.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the New Mexico whiptail total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are stable.