Common Checkered Whiptail

Cnemidophorus tesselatus

This whiptail can perform an amazing feat: the female can produce young without mating with a male. She lays eggs that hatch into all female young that are each exactly like their mother. This species was created when two other species of whiptail lizards mated (this process is called hybridization), and the young they produced had the ability to lay eggs that did not need to be fertilized. This type of reproduction, which is just like cloning, is called parthenogenesis.

Look For : A whiptail with checkered black spots and bars on back; noticeably enlarged scales in front of throat fold.

Length : 11-15".

Habitat : Rocky deserts, gullies, canyon slopes with little vegetation.

Range : Southwestern U.S.