What color is the tail of juvenile Desert Grassland Whiptail lizards upon hatching?
Answer
Bright blue
When the Desert Grassland Whiptail (*Aspidoscelis uniparens*) first hatches, its tail displays a vibrant, bright blue coloration. This striking azure hue is temporary and serves a significant evolutionary purpose; it is hypothesized to function as a generalized lure to draw a predator's attention away from the lizard's vital body parts. As the juvenile matures into adulthood, this distinctive blue coloration fades away, replaced by the adult coloration, which is typically olive-brown overlaid with longitudinal stripes.
Related Questions
What color is the tail of juvenile Desert Grassland Whiptail lizards upon hatching?How do the all-female *A. uniparens* and *A. neomexicanus* reproduce without fertilization?What invertebrate frequently constitutes the major component of the whiptail diet, sometimes up to 42.5%?What specific behavior, involving female-on-female mounting, is thought necessary to trigger ovulation in parthenogenetic whiptails?According to Lowe and Wright's proposal, which genus retained South American whiptail taxa after the split?What difference exists between the granular scales on a whiptail's upper body and the scales on its belly?What maximum running speed are some whiptail species capable of attaining, often using bipedal locomotion?How many distinct longitudinal stripes typically overlay the base coloration of the Desert Grassland Whiptail (*A. uniparens*)?What inherent conservation risk is linked to the asexual, clonal reproduction strategy of the *A. uniparens* population?In what two non-native geographical locations has the New Mexico Whiptail (*A. neomexicanus*) established populations?