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Western Whiptail
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- Order: Squamata (scaled reptiles)
- Suborder: Lacertilia (=Sauria) (lizards)
- Family: Teiidae (ameivas and whiptails)
- Genus: Cnemidophorus (whiptails)
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Scientific Name: Cnemidophorus
tigris Baird & Girard, 1852 |
| Habitat: Desert to
semi-desert areas, to wooded areas. |
Knemidos="greaves" (armor), phoros="wearing"
(referring to large scales on the arms), tigris="like
a tiger (pattern)"
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| Length: Up to 12 inches
total |
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| Food: Insects and
arachnids |
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I found this whiptail in Jubilee Pass, Death
Valley, 01 April 2000 around 3 p.m. Pacific Standard
Time. |
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| Whiptails are fairly common and
easy to find, but not easy to catch! They are among the fastest
lizards in the world. While exploring and searching for food, they
exhibit a characteristic jerking motion as they move which is
amusing to watch. There are 16 species of whiptail in the United
States, and they can be difficult to identify without careful
inspection of scale patterns. An interesting note: several species
are parthenogenetic, which means they are all female and reproduce
without mating. |
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