Basilisk Lizard

Basilisk Lizard : The common basilisk (Basiliscus Basiliscus) is a lizard belonging to the Corytophanidae family. The species is only found in Central and South America, where it lives in rainforests near rivers and streams. Because of its ability to run on water's surface, it's also known as the Jesus Christ lizard, Jesus lizard, South American Jesus lizard, or Lagarto de Jesus Cristo.

Basiliscus Vittatus: The brown basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus), sometimes known as the striped basilisk or the common basilisk in some locations, is a species of basilisk lizard belonging to the Corytophanidae family. The species is endemic to Mexico, Central America, and northwestern Colombia, and has been imported as a feral species to the United States state of Florida. The brown basilisk's hind feet are big, with small skin flaps on the distal border of each toe. They appear to be "walking on water" due to their rapid movement over the lake.

Description

Basiliscus Vittatus: 

• The common basilisk is distinguished from other species in its region by its enormous size and a prominent fin-like crest on its back. Basilisks have a brownish-cream coloration. 

• Males, like females, have crests on their heads and tails. The top lip of both sexes has a white, cream, or yellow stripe, as well as a second stripe on either side of the body; the stripes are more apparent in juveniles and fade as the lizards get older.

• Hatchlings are 38 to 43 mm (1.5 to 1.7 in) in length and weigh only 2 grams (0.071 ounces). Adults can reach a total length of 76 cm (including the tail) (2.5 feet). Females weigh about half as much as males, weighing 135 to 194 g (4.8 to 6.8 oz). A 70-cm (27.5-inch) common basilisk's tail would be 50-cm (19.5-inch) long. 

• The mouth of the common basilisk is enormous, with saw-like teeth on the inner sides of the jaw. While the common basilisk is most renowned for its ability to run on water, it is also a good climber and swimmer, capable of staying submerged for up to half an hour.

• When alarmed, the common basilisk flees by running to the nearest water's edge—and then sprinting some more. The lizard runs upright on only its hind legs, clutching its forelegs to its sides. Because its feet are big and equipped with flaps of skin along with the toes that allow it to grab on tiny air bubbles, the common basilisk is adept at swimming. The lizard can traverse a water surface before sinking if it moves swiftly. It travels at a speed of 24.1 km/h (15 mph) on water, which is slightly slower than its land speed.

• Younger basilisks can swim 10 to 20 meters (33 to 66 feet) before sinking, however, adults can only swim a few meters. Adults do not move as slowly as children, but they are heavier and cannot sprint for as long. If the predator has followed the basilisk past the bank, it will continue swimming until it is sufficient enough away from it. Although the common basilisk prefers to stay near water to avoid terrestrial predators, it only swims when absolutely required because other aquatic animals would devour it if given the opportunity.

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Basiliscus Vittatus

The male brown basilisk can grow to be 61 centimeters (24 in) long (including the tail), although the female is slightly smaller. On the head, along the back, and along the tail, it bears a three-part dorsal crest. Brown or olive-brown in colour with black crossbands. Crossbands are typically only found on the sides and dorsal crest. In addition, there is a white line that runs from the eyes to the back legs. The male's crest is larger than the female's. The brown basilisk weighs between 200 and 600 grams (0.44 and 1.32 pounds). It has long, sharp claws on its toes.

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Basilisk Lizard Habitat

The common basilisk can be found in tropical rainforests throughout Central America and northwestern South America, and it prefers to live at low elevations between sea level and 600 meters (2,000 ft). This basilisk can be found as high as 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) in Costa Rica. On the Pacific side, the species can be found from southern Nicaragua to northwestern Colombia, while on the Atlantic side, it can be found from central Panama to northwestern Venezuela.

Diet of Common Basilisk

B. Basiliscus is an omnivore that eats insects like beetles and dragonflies, as well as flowers and small vertebrates like snakes, birds, eggs, and fish.

Lizards are the most diverse category of reptiles, with an estimated 5,000 species. Except for Antarctica, they've been discovered on every continent. In the wild, lizards eat a wide variety of foods, and their diets vary by species and location. Because lizards can dwell in a variety of environments, including deserts, wetlands, woods, and plains, what they consume is often determined by what is available. The common basilisk diet is explained below: 

1. Insects 

In the wild, many different kinds of lizards graze on insects. The types of insects differ depending on where you are. Because they are abundant in the wild, crickets, flies, worms, grasshoppers, ants, spiders, and cockroaches are common diets for lizards, including geckos. Small lizards, such as skinks and fence lizards, are prized for their ability to devour termites and other pests that cause damage to homes. Some insects, such as lightning bugs, are truly harmful to some lizards.

2. Eggs 

Lizards are known for stealing mammalian eggs from other species' nests. Lizards may easily collect eggs and steal them with little effort. The type of eggs they steal is determined by the creatures that lay eggs in their environment. Gila monsters, for example, are lizard species that take eggs for sustenance.

3. Fruits and Plants 

Green iguanas, for example, are exclusively herbivores and do not eat meat. Various lizards eat insects and other types of meat, but they also eat plants to augment their diet. Green iguanas, for example, eat flowers, leaves, soft fruits, and young plant shoots in the wild.

Reproduction of Common Basilisk

Basilisk Lizard: B. Basiliscus females produce three to four clutches of 10–20 eggs every year. After about three months, the eggs hatch, and the young weigh around two grams and grow to be up to three inches long. When they stay stationary, their excellent camouflage allows them to go undetected.

Basiliscus Vittatus: Five to eight times a year, female brown basilisks lay 2–18 eggs. After around three months, the eggs hatch, and the babies weigh about 2 g. (0.071 oz).

Predators of Jesus Lizard Reptile

The double-crested or plumed basilisk is also known as the Jesus lizard, a term given to the basilisk lizard because of its ability to walk on water. It has a striking appearance and is the only lizard that can stand vertically on two feet when escaping. The basilisk really skims the water's surface, creating a tiny air pocket beneath each of its curiously adapted feet to keep them afloat. They try to avoid predators by using this approach. 

1. Mammals 

Basilisk lizards can be found in Central America's tropical rain forests. They're common in southern Mexico and Panama, where they coexist with a variety of mammals, including the white-nosed coati. The coati is a strange-looking creature with a ringed tail and a long nose that resembles a hybrid between a raccoon and an anteater. The Jesus lizard is also eaten by a variety of opossum that dwells in the rainforest of South America. Coatis and opossums are both omnivores that eat insects, rodents, and lizards.

2. Raptors 

Raptors have razor-sharp beaks, lengthy talons, and acute eyesight. They are opportunistic eaters who eat anything living or dead that they think edible. With the exception of the Arctic, hawks, vultures, and eagles may be found almost anywhere on the earth, and many species share the same rain forests as the Jesus lizard. Raptors are among the basilisk lizard's most dangerous adversaries. Raptors can simply swoop down and pluck an animal running atop the water, whereas mammals cannot.

3. Snakes 

Snakes, both venomous and nonvenomous, are common in rainforests everywhere, and they are dangerous predators whether they reside in the trees or on the ground. Most lizards, including the Jesus lizard, have their eggs eaten by snakes. Snakes are nocturnal and may readily eat a sleeping adult basilisk, which is unfortunate for the Jesus lizard, which is a diurnal reptile. The Jesus lizard has a list of things to avoid at all costs, including vipers, coral snakes, asps, moccasins, and rattlesnakes.

4. Reptiles 

While most lizards are herbivores or insectivores, the Jesus lizard is also a predator of omnivore lizards that grow larger than other lizard species. The most hazardous lizard in Central and South America's rainforests is the enormous ameiva, which may reach up to 20 inches in length. Although the Jesus lizard grows to be 24 inches long when fully mature, it is vulnerable to the big ameiva until then.

Jesus Lizard Animal

Running on Water:

When fleeing from predators, the common basilisk and other members of its genus earn the nickname "Jesus Christ lizard" or "Jesus lizard" because they collect enough velocity to run over the water for a short distance while keeping the majority of their body out of the water (similar to the biblical story of Jesus walking on water). Basilisks' hind feet are big, with scaly fringes on the third, fourth, and fifth toes. When this lizard moves on land, these fringes are compressed against the toes; nevertheless, if it detects danger, it can plunge into the water, opening up these fringes against the water's surface.

This increases the surface area of the foot, allowing it to run for short distances on the water. This is accomplished in three phases. The first is the slap, which is a downward foot action that pushes water away from the leg. This also resulted in air pockets around the foot. The stroke follows, which is a backward movement of the foot that propels it forward. The recovery phase begins as the foot rises out of the water and prepares to slap again. Smaller basilisks can swim for 10–20 meters before sinking. [requires citation] Basilisk juveniles can normally run faster and hold more of their bodies above the water than adult basilisks.

Basiliscus Vittatus:

Smaller brown basilisks can swim for 10–20 meters (33–66 feet) without sinking. Brown basilisks that are young can usually run faster than those that are older. When an animal is threatened, it begins to run very quickly on the surface of a river or a lake. The flaps on its rear feet are then opened, providing additional surface area enabling it to run on water.

Taxonomy and Entomology 

Basilisk Lizard: The basilisk is named after the Greek mythological beast made up of rooster, serpent, and lion parts that could turn a man to stone with its gaze: the basilisk. It gets its generic, specific, and common names from the Greek basiliskos (o), which means "small king." The epithet was published in the 10th edition of Carl Linnaeus' Systema Naturae.

Basiliscus Vittatus: Basiliscus is the generic name for a Greek mythological creature made up of parts of a rooster, snake, and lion that could turn a man to stone with its gaze: the basilisk. The name basiliskos comes from the Greek word basiliskos, which means "small king." The 10th edition of Carl Linnaeus' Systema Naturae gave this generic name.

Basilisk Lizard Facts

• The green basilisk has the ability to walk on water. To avoid predators, it leaps from the trees and dashes across the river. It's known as the Jesus Christ lizard because it can walk on water.

• On the water, the green basilisk runs on its rear legs. Its feet have special folds of skin that extend out like a paddle.

• Basilisks can only float for around 20 feet before they begin to sink. They are, nonetheless, excellent swimmers. They can submerge for up to 30 minutes.

• In a burrow in the earth, green basilisks lay between 10 and 20 eggs. The mothers do not stay to see the babies hatch. From the minute they are born, the newborns are capable of taking care of themselves.

• Green basilisks eat everything. Fruit, vegetables, insects, and tiny animals are among their favourite foods.

Conclusion

The common basilisk (Basiliscus) belongs to the Corytophanidae family of lizards. Only Central and South America are home to this species, which dwells in jungles near rivers and streams. It's also known as the Jesus Christ lizard, Jesus lizard, South American Jesus lizard, or Lagarto de Jesus Cristo because of its ability to run on water's surface.

The brown basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus), also known as the striped basilisk or the common basilisk in some areas, is a lizard species belonging to the Corytophanidae family of basilisks. The species is native to Mexico, Central America, and northwestern Colombia, but it has been introduced as a feral species to the state of Florida in the United States. The hind feet of a brown basilisk is large, with tiny skin flaps on the distal edge of each toe. Because of their quick speed across the lake, they appear to be "walking on water."