There are about 45 species of whiptail lizards in the wild, inhabiting the deserts of North and South America, and while most have male and female versions that reproduce through sexual reproduction, there are 15 species of whiptail lizard that are just female.
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The all-female species are created when two different whiptail species mate, says Nick Baker. Once the new parthenogenic populations have been created, they keep producing clones of themselves and cannot mate with any males of the original parent species.
This is all at the expense of genetic variation. Research has also found that the whiptails have to compete with one another for resources, as they eat similar prey and live in similar habitats.
So what are the advantages of parthenogensis? Perhaps it allows the lizards to colonise the harsh deserts quickly, as they don't have to find mates.
However, even asexual lizards indulge in a bit of role play, with female whiptails playing the parts of the missing males. This pseudocopulation involves all the indelicate behaviours associated with sexual species of whiptails, such as neck biting, rough and tumble and mounting.
These tactics are thought to help to stimulate the hormones required for successful reproduction.
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