How Some Animals Reproduce Without Males: The New Mexico Whiptail Lizard Explained
Sunday, 3 May 2026

Some species don’t need males. Take the New Mexico Whiptail Lizard for
example. There are no males in this
species. So, of course, the sensible question to ask is how do they
reproduce? They use something called parthenogenesis
which involves no males and no sperm.
The female can produce an egg all by herself. The eggs will produce an all-female brood,
clones of the other – who will go on to… you get the point. While this does allow some species to rapidly
increase their range, it does somewhat limit the genetic diversity of the
species!
For a closer look at parthenogenesis, take a look at these
videos created by the Natural History Museum in the UK.
