Orange-throated whiptail
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| Orange-throated whiptail | ||||||||||||||
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| Cnemidophorus hyperythrus |
The Orange-throated whiptail (Cnemidophorus hyperythrus) is a distinctive species of lizard with five or six light colored stripes down a black, brown, or grey dorsal side. The middle stripe may be forked at both ends. It is whitish-yellow or cream on the venter, and has an orange throat (females and juveniles may lack this character). Its head is yellow-brown to olive colored, and its tongue is forked and flicked continually. It is between 5 and 7.2 cm long.
This lizard is a native of North America, found in the southwest United States and Mexico.
Juveniles of this species have cobalt blue legs and tails. The entire ventral surface of males, including the tail, may be orange, although gravid females may also have some orange especially lining the lower jaw. The colors are most distinct in the breeding season. Males have larger femoral pores than females.
The orange-throated whiptail has a distinctive, jerking gait.
[edit] References
- World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1996). Cnemidophorus hyperythrus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
- This article is based on a description from "A Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Coastal Southern California", Robert N. Fisher and Ted J. Case, USGS, http://www.werc.usgs.gov/fieldguide/index.htm.
