Desert Grassland Whiptail Lizard
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| iDesert Grassland Whiptail Lizard | ||||||||||||||||
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| Cnemidophorus uniparens Wright and Lowe, 1965 |
The Desert Grassland Whiptail lizard (Cnemidophorus uniparens) is an all-female species. These reptiles reproduce by parthenogenesis; eggs undergo a chromosome doubling after meiosis and develop into lizards without being fertilized. However, ovulation is enhanced by courtship and mating (pseudocopulation) rituals that imitate the behavior of closely related species that reproduce sexually.
The lizard lives in dry deserts, from central Arizona to west Texas, and south into Mexico.
