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Common Checkered Whiptail
Aspidoscelis tesselatus
29.1658, -103.613
Field Notes
Description:
Common Checkered Whiptail spotted on the banks of the Rio Grande in Big Bend National Park, TX. There was a group of six of these small lizards running back and forth gobbling up ants as I took their photos--none really seemed to concerned that I was there at all. Common Checkered Whiptails grow to about 4 inches in length (not including tail). Their pattern and base coloration varies widely, with brown or black blotching, checkering or striping on a pale yellow or white base color. Their rear legs often have dark spotting, and their underside is usually white with dark flecking on the throat area. They are slender bodied, with a long tail.
Habitat:
Common Checkered Whiptails are found in the southwestern United States in Colorado, Texas and New Mexico, and in northern Mexico in Chihuahua and Coahuila. They are found in semi-arid, rocky habitats, normally in canyon lands or hilled regions.
Notes:
Like other species of whiptail lizard, the checkered whiptail is diurnal and insectivorous. They are wary, energetic, and fast moving, darting for cover if approached. They are parthenogenic, laying up to eight unfertilized eggs in mid summer, which hatch in six to eight weeks.
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