New Mexico State Reptile
New Mexico Whiptail Lizard (common name) Cnemidophorus neomexicanus (scientific name) Overview New Mexico whiptail lizards are found primarily in New Mexico’s Rio Grande Valley. They are extremely active, constantly moving, and often running upright on their hind legs. Their speed and alertness enable them to outwit predators including Gila monsters, thrashers, roadrunners, and snakes. In 2003, the New Mexico whiptail lizard became the official state reptile of New Mexico. Close-Up STATUS Official ALSO KNOWN AS Whiptail, racerunner, huico PHYSICAL DETAILS A whiptail lizard is a small reptile with a slender body and a long, thin tail about three times its body length. Its overall color ranges from dark brown to black, with seven pale yellow stripes from head to tail separated by rows of tiny yellow dots. Its belly is white or pale blue. The lizard’s tail is gray at the base, and varies from green to greenish blue at the tip. The whiptail lizard has different shaped and sized scales all over its body. Scales on its back are small and granular, while scales on its tail are larger and rectangular. Belly scales are also large, smooth and rectangular, whereas scales at the top of its head are plate-like.    Males Females Size Average length 6.4–9 in (16.5–23 cm) Average length 6.4–9 in (16.5–23 cm) Weight 0.4-0.5 oz (12-13 g) 0.4-0.5 oz (12-13 g) LIFESPAN Up to 6 years HABITAT Whiptails prefer sunny areas such as sandy shrub land, desert grasslands, or disturbed riverside areas. They also live in rocky areas, dry arroyos, and pinion uplands at elevations of up to 8,000 feet (2,400 m). Range: The Rio Grande Valley in New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico, and in the Tularosa Basin. Introduced and now established in Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park and around New Mexico’s Conchas Lake. Conservation status: Least Concern (LC) BEHAVIOR New Mexico whiptail lizards are mostly active in mid-morning and late afternoon, avoiding the extreme heat of midday. They forage under perennials and find their prey, mostly invertebrates, by using their sense of smell and by digging. New Mexico whiptail lizards are a crossbreed of Western whiptails and little striped lizards. Whiptails are a female–only species that, like many known lizard species, reproduce by parthenogenesis. The eggs require no fertilization and the hatchlings are exact clones of their mother. Females dig nests in the earth and lay one or two clutches of eggs each year in June and July. Each clutch has one to four eggs, which are smooth, off-white, and have leathery shells. They hatch within 50 to 60 days. In winter, a whiptail lizard hibernates in a narrow burrow up to one foot (30 cm) deep, its entrance covered with dirt. During hibernation, this lizard’s body temperature can drop to 50°F (10°C). It emerges from hibernation in April. Adults stay active through mid-August and the hatchlings are active until early October. Top land speed recorded: 15 mph (20 kph) DIET Termites, moths, beetles, butterflies, scorpions, spiders, cockroaches, ant larvae and eggs, larvae and pupae of different insects. OFFSPRING Breeding interval: Annual Hatching period: August–September Average nest size: 4–8 eggs Size at birth: 0.8 in (2 cm) TRIVIA Whiptails often rely on speed to survive and can run as fast as roadrunners. A whiptail can escape from a predator by sacrificing its long tail, which breaks off easily along a fracture plane in the vertebrae when captured. The tail wriggles aggressively, surprising the predator and drawing its attention while the lizard reaches safety.
	Click to enlarge an image Whiptail Lizard Whiptail Lizard Showing Lengthy Tail Whiptail Lizard Head Shot CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Sauria Family: Teiidae Genus: Cnemidophorus Species: C. neomexicanus
	Raw Data Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Author: World Trade Press