whiptail
Americannoun
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any of numerous New World lizards of the family Teiidae, especially of the genus Cnemidophorus, characterized by great agility and alertness.
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any of various other whip-tailed animals, as the whipscorpion.
Etymology
Origin of whiptail
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For instance, a new study shows the rare Colorado checkered whiptail lizard stress-eats in response to noise.
From National Geographic ● Apr. 25, 2023
Another lizard species, the Central American whiptail, has been observed offering a potential partner a lovely dead frog to eat before mating.
From New York Times ● Oct. 24, 2022
The New Mexico whiptail, for example, is a hybrid that popped up after a Western whiptail mated with a little striped whiptail.
From The Verge ● Jul. 19, 2015
These include unisexual whiptail lizards and deadbeat cassowary moms, which abandon hatchlings to Dad’s care.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 15, 2015
Some species of whiptail lizards carry three sets of genes, rather than two.
From New York Times ● Dec. 18, 2014
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
