New Mexico whiptail - wikipedia New Mexico whiptail This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. ( November 2013 ) New Mexico whiptail Three species of whiptail : little striped whiptail, ( C. inornatus ), New Mexico whiptail ( C. neomexicanus ) and western whiptail ( C. tigris ). Conservation status Least Concern ( IUCN 3.1 ) Scientific classification Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Chordata Class : Reptilia Order : Squamata Family : Teiidae Genus : Cnemidophorus Species : C. neomexicanus Binomial name Cnemidophorus neomexicanus Lowe & Zweifel, 1952 Synonyms Cnemidophorus perplexus Baird & Girard, 1852 Aspidoscelis neomexicana Reeder, 2002 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. The hybridization of these species prevents healthy males from forming, whereas males exist in both parent species ( see Sexual differentiation ). Parthenogenesis allows the resulting all - female population to reproduce and thus evolve into a unique species capable of reproduction. This combination of interspecific hybridization and parthenogenesis exists as a reproductive strategy in several species of whiptail lizard within the Cnemidophorus genus to which the New Mexico whiptail belongs. Contents 1 Description 2 Behavior 3 See also 4 Footnotes 5 References Description The New Mexico whiptail grows from 16.5 to 23 cm ( 6.5 to 9.1 in ) in length, and is typically overall brown or black in color 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. Behavior 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. The New Mexico whiptail lizard is a crossbreed of a western whiptail, which lives in the desert, and the little striped whiptail, which favours grasslands. The lizard is a female - only species that reproduces by producing an egg through parthenogenesis. 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 that do not `` mate '' do not lay eggs. See also New Mexico Whiptail Footnotes Jump up ^ `` Chapter VIII. New Mexico state animals '' ( PDF ). New Mexico Envirothon. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on July 14, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011. Jump up ^ Lowe, Charles H., and John W. Wright. `` Evolution of parthenogenetic species of Cnemidophorus ( whiptail lizards ) in western North America. '' Journal of the Arizona Academy of Science ( 1966 ) : 81 - 87. Jump up ^ Crews, David ( 1987 ). `` Courtship in unisexual lizards : A model for brain evolution ''. Scientific American. 257 : 116 -- 121. References Herps of Texas : Cnemidophorus neomexicanus Taxon identifiers Wd : Q934175 iNaturalist : 73681 IUCN : 64278 uBio : 8062226 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_Mexico_whiptail&oldid=834011278 '' Categories : IUCN Red List least concern species Teiidae Vertebrate parthenogenesis Reptiles described in 1852 Lizards of North America Reptiles of the United States Biota of New Mexico Endemic fauna of the United States Symbols of New Mexico Taxa named by Richard G. Zweifel Hidden categories : Articles lacking in - text citations from November 2013 All articles lacking in - text citations Articles with ' species ' microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български Cebuano Euskara Français Svenska Tiếng Việt Winaray Edit links This page was last edited on 3 April 2018, at 13 : 31. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what type of reproduction do whiptail lizards use
Answer: parthenogenesis; Parthenogenesis; Parthenogenesis; parthenogenic; parthenogenesis