The plateau spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis septemvittatus ) is a species of lizard found in the southern United States in Texas, and in northern Mexico in Chihuahua and Coahuila. It is known to hybridize with the Eastern Spotted Whiptail, Cnemidophorus gularis, but is considered to be a distinct species due to phenotypic characteristics.
Diurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
An 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...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
Precocial 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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starts withThe Plateau spotted whiptail grows from 8 to 12.5 inches. It has an overall dark green, dark brown or black coloration with 6-7 cream colored stripes that run down the body from head to tail, sometimes with white spotting between stripes. Their underside is typically white or pale blue, and females often have an orange throat. They have a slender body, with a tail that is nearly three times their body length.
Like other species of whiptail lizard, the Plateau spotted whiptail is diurnal and insectivorous. They are wary, energetic, and fast moving, darting for cover if approached. It is found primarily in semi-arid canyonlands and rocky desert foothills. Breeding takes place in the spring, with females laying eggs in the mid summer, which hatch six to eight weeks later.