the.com/whiptail
a desert lizard that ditched males entirely and clones itself into existence
means A type of lizard with a notably long, slender tail, several species of which (in the genus Aspidoscelis) are all-female and reproduce by cloning themselves without males.
from A plain English compound: "whip" plus "tail," naming the creature for its long, thin, lashing tail. "Whip" goes back to Middle English wippen, "to move quickly," likely from a Germanic root tied to swinging or flapping motion — possibly related to Dutch wippen, "to swing." "Tail" descends from Old English tægl. So the name simply paints the picture: a tail like a whip. The word has been applied to various long-tailed animals (and plants and even rays), with the desert lizards earning the label for the same obvious reason.
- all female
- some species have zero males whatsoever
- virgin birth
- reproduces via parthenogenesis, no fertilization needed
- fake mating
- females mount each other to trigger egg production
- hybrid origin
- born from two species crossbreeding long ago
- speed demon
- named for that long whip-like sprinting tail
american whiptail — fastest-running lizard in north america, reaching 18 mph in short bursts
six-lined racerunner — whiptail species found across southern united states, can reproduce asexually through parthenogenesis
striped whiptail — desert-dwelling lizard of southwestern us and mexico with distinctive striped pattern