#Aspidoscelis uniparens

[fatchance]

Desert grasslands whiptail lizard (Aspidoscelis uniparens), at San Pedro House. Like the related Sonoran spotted whiptail in the same genus, desert grasslands whiptails are an entirely female species, and all reproduction is by parthenogenesis.

Etymology note: Aspidoscelis is derived from Ancient Greek words meaning shield leg, and the specific uniparens – forgive the pun, it is intentional – should be apparent.

[beebuus]

ok so there are phantoms of lesbians whispering to know more, and i shall provide.

the desert grassland whiptail lizard, species Aspidoscelis uniparens, is a very interesting little gal, as they do parthenogenesis (a common in lesbian species), where the egg does a chromosome doubling right after it would be considered "possible to be fertilized". however, there are many species of animals that do parthenogenesis, so that alone can't really be a indicator of lesbian species, only species that do not require males to reproduce (anti-male? bioessentialist radfems? i digress)

no, these little girlies do something beyond; they have higher rates of ovulation when they court and mate with other females (science classifies it as pseudo-copulation, as there is no fertilization of eggs), and their "role" in courtship is driven by their progesterone levels (besides being lesbians, there are butch and femme lizards, but they're pratically more futch most of the time)

lookadis beautiful lady

i just had the idea of making posts about lesbians of the animal world each day of lesbian visibility week, EXCEPT NOW the week has ended, and therefore all lesbians have to seize existence. very unfortunate :(

i would however elaborate, if only there was a large sum of were-lesbians asking me to do so..... oh but the misery of this not being so, how very unfortunate.

[adharagranley-writer]

Topic of the day: lesbian lizards.

There's a species of lizards that are entirely female (they really said no boys today honey) living in North America and Mexico. So how do they make baby lizards without males?

They reproduce by parthenogenesis (and are one of the few if not the only species of animal to reproduce only by this method). Parthenogenesis is a reproduction form where the female sexual cells develop without the masculine ones (eggs undergo a chromosome doubling after meiosis, developing into lizards without being fertilized), and it can happen in insects, birds, fishes and reptiles.

The desert grassland whiptail lizard (Aspidoscelis uniparens) does this, but! The ovulation is enhanced by female-female courtship and mating (pseudo-copulation) rituals that resemble the behavior other lizards that reproduce sexually.

So they are the absolute only-female lesbian queens.

[cypherdecypher]

Animal of the Day!

Desert Grassland Whiptail Lizard (Aspidoscelis uniparens)

(Photo from Toronto Zoo)

Conservation Status- Least Concern

Habitat- Northern Central America; Southwestern United States

Size (Weight/Length)- 13 cm

Diet- Insects

Cool Facts- The desert grassland whiptail lizard woke up one day and decided that men were unnecessary in their lives. Every single one of these lizards you see are females and almost genetically identical to each other. The whiptails are capable of parthenogenesis, meaning they can have clone babies without a male. The easiest way to identify the age of the lizard can be found on their tail. The younger they are, the bluer their tail. This helps younger lizards escape predators as the bright color is attractive, making a bird go after their tail rather than their head. When their tail is attacked, the desert grassland whiptail lizard drops its tail and runs away. After a few months, the tail regrows and the lizard lives on.

Rating- 12/10 (Creating a lesbian army to conquer the world.)

Requested by @v-spicata

[herpsandbirds]

Desert Grassland Whiptail (Aspidoscelis uniparens), family Teiidae, Patagonia, Arizona, USA

photograph by Joseph Morlan

[chlorinatedpopsicle]

We all know about the New Mexico whiptail (Aspidoscelis neomexicanus), but did you know that there are several other species in the Aspidoscelis genus that are also all-female (as they reproduce exclusively by parthenogenesis)? Here are some of them!

Common checkered whiptail (Aspidoscelis tesselatus)

Desert grassland whiptail (Aspidoscelis uniparens)

Plateau striped whiptail (Aspidoscelis velox)

Chihuahuan spotted whiptail (Aspidoscelis exsanguis)

There’s also a few all-female species in the Cnemidophorus genus!

Cryptic racerunner (Cnemidophorus cryptus)

[weird-bio-facts]

Lesbian lizards, or Lizbians if you will.

Meet the desert grassland whiptail lizard, Aspidoscelis uniparens, a triploid parthenogenic lizard that has lesbian sex. Dubbed pseudocopulation by science, it’s really still just two female lizards getting it on, there is a clear benefit to this behavior, it stimulates the bottom lizard to produce larger eggs, and they swap roles as top and bottom each cycle. So, if anyone ever tries to argue being gay is unnatural, well, there’s a small American desert lizard that shows very clearly otherwise.

[i-m-snek]

Hello, I was wondering if you have the care specifications for Aspidoscelis uniparens, as quite a bit of Googling has provided little help. I can find care sheets from sources I don't entirely trust for OTHER types of whiptails, but none that I am particularly interested in, and I'm not an experienced enough keeper to be comfortable going for it without solid information. I appreciated your earlier help, as well- it cleared up some confusion. ^^

Sorry for the late reply! I had to do a bit of searching but I used this as my basis for care, then asked advice from people who have cared for them before. UVB tube is required, and the bugs should be dusted once or twice a week with calcium with no D3 :) Hotspot should be about 95, with the cool side going no lower than 80.

[herpingaround-blog]

Desert Grassland Whiptail (Aspidoscelis uniparens) Arizona, USA #Herping #Reptile #HerpLife #Herpetology #HerpPhotography

[fatchance]

Desert grassland whiptail (Aspidoscelis uniparens), with a bonus close crop. At Fairbank Townsite, San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Cochise County, Arizona. 

[astronomy-to-zoology]

Desert Grassland Whiptail Lizard (Aspidoscelis uniparens)

...an interesting species of Teiid lizard (Whiptail) which occurs in the southern United States, ranging from central Arizona to west Texas, south to Mexico. True to their common name desert grassland whiptail lizards inhabit dry deserts and grasslands. Like other members of their family Aspidoscelis uniparens is an all-female species with individuals reproducing via parthenogenesis. 

Classification

Animalia-Chordata-Reptilia-Squamata-Teiidae-Aspidoscelis-A. uniparens

Image: Greg Hume

[hawkwardtales-blog-blog]

Factual Friday

Have you ever heard of the desert grassland whiptail lizard?

image by Lon&Queta

Well, you should know about these little beauties.

Because they are an all-female species.

image by Trisha Shears

THAT'S RIGHT.

They reproduce by parthenogenesis, which essentially means without fertilization. In fact, parthenogenesis literally translated from Greek means "virgin birth".

image by Dave Pape

This means that the entire species consists of clones.

Not only that, but the lizards often exhibit pseudosexual behavior towards each other (i.e. courting and mounting), which is thought to help stimulate ovulation.

If you wanted to be scientifically inaccurate, you could say they're a tiny little army of lesbian Virgin Mary clones.

NATURE IS WEIRD AND SPECTACULAR

Read more:

http://www.torontozoo.com/exploretheZoo/AnimalDetails.asp?pg=714 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2553382/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/adaptations/Parthenogenesis

[cypherdecypher]

I love your posts, they are real comfy and interesting. Could I nominate a relatively obscure but interesting critter in honour of pride month? Aspidoscelis uniparens, the Desert Grassland Whiptail Lizard is entirely composed of lesbians.

I actually went hiking the other day and the weather was perfect for spotting desert grassland whiptails! I probably saw several dozen that were easily bigger than my hand. Super cool lizard and I'll add them to the list!

[fatchance]

Panoramic lizard.

Desert grassland whiptail (Aspidoscelis uniparens) at San Pedro House, Cochise County, Arizona. 

[fatchance]

Desert grassland whiptail lizard (Aspidoscelis uniparens) in an unnamed arroyo, San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, Cochise County, Arizona.

[fatchance]

Desert grassland whiptail lizard (Aspidoscelis uniparens), clinging to the mortuary wall, Tumacácori National Historical Park, Santa Cruz County, Arizona.