Great Basin Whiptail

greatbasinwhiptailbg: Great Basin WhiptailCOMMON NAME: Great Basin Whiptail

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cnemidophorus tigris tigris

DESCRIPTION:

Members of the whiptail and racerunner family have long slender bodies, whip-like tails, and well-developed legs. They are among the most difficult lizards to capture. Whiptails may be 8 to 12 inches in overall length (the tail is 2/3 of the length) with four light stripes often with many dark spots on their back. The throat and belly are light with black spots on the chest. Their tail is gray or gray-green with black speckling on the sides. The tail of a juvenile is bright blue.

LIFE HISTORY:

Mating takes place from April to March, with 1 to 3 clutches of 1 to 8 eggs laid between April and August. Specimens have been clocked running at speeds exceeding 15 mph for short distances.

ECOLOGY:

Niche: A diurnal lizard, the whiptail stalks moving objects by sight and smell. It can also hunt insects, scorpions, spiders, and lizards which it detects with constant flicks of its deeply-forked tongue. It will burrow underground for safety and to find prey. Most lizards seldom search for their food as does the whiptail.

Habitat: The whiptail is a terrestrial lizard of arid and semi-arid deserts to open woodlands where vegetation is sparse enough to make running easy. Their movements are rapid and jerky.

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