whiptail
noun
whip·tail
ˈ(h)wip-ˌtāl 
: any of various long slender American lizards (genera Aspidoscelis and Cnemidophorus) having a whiplike tail and including some forms that are parthenogenetic
Examples of whiptail in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
How the New Mexico whiptail became a gay icon
Mutation Research/Fundamental and Mechanisms of Mutagenesis.
—
Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
New Mexico whiptails actually represent a remarable evolutionary feat: Their lineage came about via the union of two separate species, the little striped whiptail and the western whiptail.
—Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2020
Matthew Fujita, a UTA biology professor and the center’s curator of herpetology, uses the collection to study parthenogenesis, a wacky way that certain female whiptail lizards reproduce by cloning themselves.
—Dallas News, 3 Nov. 2022
Scientists may be able to predict evolutionary outcomes thanks to a recent study involving a whiptail lizard.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 11 Aug. 2022
Consider the New Mexico whiptail lizard, which reproduces through parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction that allows the female to create a viable offspring without a mate.
—Clare Egan, Longreads, 21 Mar. 2023
For the all-female whiptail lizard, the solution is to hedge its bets.
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2010
Another lizard species, the Central American whiptail, has been observed offering a potential partner a lovely dead frog to eat before mating.
—Hannah Thomasy, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2022
The North American whiptail lizards (Aspidoscelis) are grandmasters at it.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 5 May 2011
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Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024
New Mexico whiptails actually represent a remarable evolutionary feat: Their lineage came about via the union of two separate species, the little striped whiptail and the western whiptail.
—Katherine J. Wu, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Feb. 2020
Matthew Fujita, a UTA biology professor and the center’s curator of herpetology, uses the collection to study parthenogenesis, a wacky way that certain female whiptail lizards reproduce by cloning themselves.
—Dallas News, 3 Nov. 2022
Scientists may be able to predict evolutionary outcomes thanks to a recent study involving a whiptail lizard.
—Monica Cull, Discover Magazine, 11 Aug. 2022
Consider the New Mexico whiptail lizard, which reproduces through parthenogenesis, a form of asexual reproduction that allows the female to create a viable offspring without a mate.
—Clare Egan, Longreads, 21 Mar. 2023
For the all-female whiptail lizard, the solution is to hedge its bets.
—Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2010
Another lizard species, the Central American whiptail, has been observed offering a potential partner a lovely dead frog to eat before mating.
—Hannah Thomasy, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2022
The North American whiptail lizards (Aspidoscelis) are grandmasters at it.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 5 May 2011
Dictionary Entries Near whiptail
Cite this Entry
“Whiptail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/whiptail. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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