First report of caudal display in the longtail whiptail Aurivela longicauda (Squamata: Teiidae)
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Squamate tail movements has multiple functions, including intraspecific communication, defense, autotomy, aggression, and feeding. Here we report for the first time the occurrence of unusual caudal behavior in Longtail Whiptail (Aurivela longicauda, Teiidae), an endemic lizard distributed in the Monte Desert region in Patagonia, Argentina. The observed specimen was buried underground, with only the reddish part of the tail was sticking out of the sand. The tail was extended and subvertically oriented, and the individual was wagging and curling the tail laterally, doing a slow tail wag with intermittent “flailing”, resembling the movement that earthworms do out of the ground. Knowing that the Aurivela species are almost exclusively insectivores, with a particular predilection for gregarious insects (e.g., termites and ants), it is not improbable that tail having worm-like coloration and movement may act as a lure to attract prey for consumption.
Source: Acta Herpetologica
DOI: 10.36253/a_h-17819
Authors: Gastón E. Lo Coco, Federico L. Agnolín
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7128515921