New Mexico whiptail

The New Mexico whiptail is an all-female lizard native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It reproduces through parthenogenesis, producing offspring without fertilization.

Parthenogenesis: A reproductive process in which an embryo develops from an unfertilized egg. The whiptail reproduces by this process, producing offspring without fertilization.
Polyploidy: The condition of having more than two complete sets of chromosomes. The species' hybrid origin is associated with elevated chromosome sets that support egg development.
Sexual selection: A form of natural selection driven by differences in mating success. Female-female courtship-like behavior lets researchers examine mating behaviors without male competition.
Asexual reproduction: Reproduction that produces offspring without the fusion of gametes from two parents. The species is a vertebrate example of reproduction without fertilization.
Oogenesis: The formation and development of egg cells in an organism. Its eggs develop without fertilization, making egg formation central to reproduction.
Hybrid speciation: The formation of a distinct species through hybridization between different species. The New Mexico whiptail originated through hybridization between whiptail lineages.
Behavioral endocrinology: The study of interactions between hormones and behavior. Its cyclical reproductive behavior offers a system for studying hormonal influences on courtship-like actions.
Biological species concept: A species definition based on populations that interbreed and are reproductively isolated from others. An all-female lineage complicates species definitions centered on interbreeding.
Meiosis: Cell division that halves chromosome number and generates reproductive cells. Understanding how its eggs retain chromosome sets helps explain its unusual reproduction.
Aspidoscelis inornata: A whiptail lizard species native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. It is one of the parental lineages involved in the New Mexico whiptail's hybrid origin.

Linked from 1 page

TeiidaeBroader topic: It is a well-studied example of unisexual reproduction within Teiidae.