Helmet lizard. Basilisk - a fabulous creature or a real animal? Helmeted basilisk what does

Helm-bearing basilisk (lat. Basiliscus basiliscus) is a tree lizard that lives in the tropical rainforests of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama. Prefers to stay in thickets along the banks of rivers.

Adult lizards reach a length of up to 60-80 cm. The tail of the basilisk is almost two thirds of the length of its body. They are excellent swimmers, able to stay under water for half an hour. They also run well and fast, sometimes reaching ground speeds of up to 11 km/h. Possesses by keeping his body on the surface with rapidly alternating blows of the hind legs.

The helmeted basilisk got its name because of its bright green color and distinctive crest starting at the head and ending at the tail. The crest on the head of males is larger than that of females.

"It was a basilisk - green as lettuce, with bright eyes, a male about 14 inches in length ... losing balance, he fell like a stone into a black river, immediately plunged into the water, but after a moment he found himself on the surface and ran across the water. Forepaws he carried in front of him, his tail bent upwards, and with his hind legs thrashed the surface of the water with the speed of a machine gun. The speed of the spanking was so significant that the lizard did not sink. Before we could figure out how he did it, the basilisk reached land, climbed onto the shore and darted through the branches…" wrote Archie Carr, an American zoologist.

Helm-bearing basilisks are omnivorous, they feed on greens covered with dark leaves, a small amount of vegetables, insects (earthworms, crickets, mealworm larvae), snails, small frogs.

Basilisk mating can last up to 20 minutes. Pregnant females become fat after 2-3 weeks, at the same time they begin to look for a place to lay eggs.

Each clutch contains 9-18 eggs. A female basilisk can lay eggs up to 4-5 times during the breeding season. Sexual maturity occurs at 1.5-2 years.

Why zoologists named this harmless lizard in honor of the evil Basilisk, no one knows, but in nature it is, as is the official name of the individual - a helmet-bearing (see a crest like a helmet on your head?) Basilisk. The habitat halo is exclusively the territory of Central America, therefore, in order to watch the Basilisks, and they are distinguished by 4 species, you will have to cross the ocean.

If we talk about the characteristic features of the Basilisk, then the tail is much longer than the body, about 2/3 of 80 cm, such is the length of the lizard. The body and tail are flattened on the sides, such a semblance of a "thickened knife blade" and a sharp ridge along the entire back. In general, scale up for thrillers and shoot living "dinosaurs" without resorting to mock-ups or fantasy. Terrible lizard, you see. But at the same time, she is a herbivore, a vegetarian, therefore, for other inhabitants of Central America, she is harmless.

Based on the correct answer, the places for the life of the Basilisk are trees growing near rivers, and danger makes it run through the water, sensing which, the lizard first begins to turn its head menacingly, and then it is carried away through the water.

P.S. The question remained open: reading about the Basilisks, I didn’t understand why she had 100 teeth measured by nature when she eats grass ...

Which, more often than other animals from the genus Basilisks, is kept in terrariums. The size of an adult reptile reaches 60-80 cm in length, about two or three of which falls on the length of the tail. The color of the helmeted Basilisk varies from bright green to brownish-olive. But offspring bred in captivity often have a bluish-green color. The belly of this lizard is yellow. Along the back of the lizard, you can see small white or blue spots, and on the sides there are black stripes along the entire body to the tail. As the Basilisk gets older, these spots and stripes may become more blurred or disappear altogether. This coloration allows the basilisks to go unnoticed when they are crouching on the branches. On the long fingers of these, you can see sharp claws that help this semi-arboreal species to easily move through the rainforest.

A distinctive feature of males is a sail-like crest that adorns the head, back and passes to the tail. On the head, this crest resembles a helmet in shape and consists of two parts, different in size, which is why the species was called helmet-bearing. At the same time, the female has only a smaller crest on the head, while both of them are observed in males. Also a distinctive feature of males is a blue-yellow throat pouch, which they inflate, showing their superiority in territorial struggle.

The name "basilisk" these animals owe to their mythical past, in which they were considered very dangerous animals due to the fact that they were little known. And because they began to be called "serpent king", this is how the word "basilisk" sounds in Greek.

You can often find another alternative name "lizard Jesus". Basilisks got this name due to their ability to move over long distances on the surface of the water. Fleeing from predators, basilisks can overcome up to 20 meters, running on the surface of the water at speeds up to 11 km / h. This is made possible by the anatomical structure of the basilisk.

Their hind legs are much stronger and larger than their front legs and have special skin pouches located around their toes. These skin sacs open and fill with air only on water. In order for the skin pouches around the fingers of the basilisk not to fill with water (this will make its paws heavier and prevent it from “sliding” on the water), it must move its hind legs very quickly - this is why basilisks run so fast through the water. At the same time, he raises his front paws and tail above the water. The tail also plays a very important role in this process, it helps to balance, and therefore the basilisks do not drop it when attacked by predators. When the hind legs are not on the water, these skin pouches are closed so as not to increase the friction force when running. This allows basilisks to run well not only on water, but also on land.

Origin and habitats in nature:

The genus Basiliscus (Basiliscus) belongs to the Corytophanidae family. Previously, this genus was assigned to the family (Iguanidae), but relatively recently, herpetologists have identified nine species of helmet-bearing lizards in a separate family. The family consists of three genera: Basiliscus (Basilisks), Corytophanes (Coritophanes or helmeted iguanas) and Laemanctus (Caskogolovye iguanas). In turn, the Basilisk genus consists of four main species: Basiliscus basiliscus (common basilisk), Basiliscus galeritus (Crested basilisk), Basiliscus plumifrons (helmet-bearing basilisk) and Basiliscus vittatus (Mexican striped basilisk).
The helmeted basilisk species inhabits the tropical forests of Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama from the Caribbean Sea.

The habitats of the Basilisk helmet in most cases are in the lowlands located 500 m below sea level, but there have been cases when basilisks were found in areas 1200 m above sea level.

Lifestyle:

This is a lizard that leads a diurnal semi-arboreal lifestyle, and therefore it can often be found on trees, bushes growing near rivers and reservoirs. Sometimes in nature, helmet-bearing basilisks can be seen on stones or logs, where they bask under the rays of the tropical sun. Wherever you meet this amazing one, it will in any case be a place hidden from prying eyes.

If you get a little closer to the basilisk, then it may not even move. But if you get too close, then in this case the lizard will quickly jump into the water and, using its amazing ability to run on water, will disappear from your field of vision so quickly, or slip away among the bushes, that you won’t even have time to understand anything.
In addition, the helmeted Basilisk swims perfectly with complete immersion in water. There were cases when the basilisk spent up to 2 hours, being completely immersed in water.

The helmeted basilisk is one that lives strictly in a certain area, where you can meet only one male, and two or three females. Two males do not get along in the same territory, but it is also worth noting that this is a species of herd lizards, and they must definitely live as a family, otherwise they start to get bored and this can lead to the death of the animal if it is not placed in a family in time. Care must be taken, however, that the young are separated from the adults, as the stronger adults may eat the weak (young). Disputes are also often observed among females, but they are less pronounced, the main thing is that the number of females in one territory does not exceed three.

Basilisks often become the prey of birds of prey, large fish and mammals. And if they can run away from enemies that hunt only during the day, then mammals that lead a nocturnal lifestyle often overtake basilisks at the moment when they sleep.

It is important to note that only captive-bred basilisks should be chosen for keeping, since wild-caught animals almost never live long, as they do not tolerate transportation and changing habitat conditions very well.

Terrarium: to keep a helmeted basilisk, you will need one equipped with a pool. The minimum size of the terrarium for two or three adults should be 130x60x170 cm. The size of the pool should be at least the size of a lizard. The water in the pool must be changed every day, or equipped with filters on the principle of an aquarium. Also in the water you can get small unpretentious fish, such as guppies, so you will give the basilisks the opportunity to hunt prey in the water, diversifying their diet. But in any case, the water must be changed as it becomes contaminated in order to avoid the appearance of harmful microorganisms.

Content temperature: the background temperature in the terrarium during the day should be 28-30 ºC, the night temperature can drop to 20-25 ºC. The temperature at the heating point can reach 35-38 ºC.

Lighting: daylight hours for basilisks should be 12-14 hours. As is the case with other tropical lizards, basilisks need to be installed (for example,). It must be placed at a sufficient distance from the placed snags so that the lizard does not get burned.

Humidity maintenance: humidity in a basilisk terrarium must be maintained at 70-90%. At the same time, the humidity should be higher at night than during the day. In addition, during the tropical rainy season, it is recommended to spray the terrarium 3-4 times a day with a spray gun. To maintain humidity, a small waterfall that will fall into the pond will be an excellent solution. Thus, the issue of water flow in the pool can also be solved.

Decor: basilisks are quite mobile lizards, they definitely need a place closer to where they can bask after bathing. In addition, they like to move around the terrarium, where for this they need to place several thick snags that could withstand all the individuals living in the terrarium at once. It is also necessary to place in case the lizards want to hide. . As with other tropical lizards, live non-poisonous plants with dense leaves can be placed in a basilisk terrarium. But you should be prepared for the fact that sooner or later your pets will damage them with their sharp claws. In this case, the plants must be replaced.

Feeding in captivity:

The helmeted basilisk is a rather omnivorous lizard. As live prey, they need to be offered mainly insects:. Also, adults can be fed small mice and small non-poisonous fish.

In the wild, basilisks consume flowers and leaves of tropical plants as plant food. Captive-bred basilisks can be trained to consume plant foods that are not part of their diet in the wild. Such foods include sprouted wheat, as well as slices of bananas, soft pears, oranges and other fruits, and soft vegetables, berries.

Feeding in captivity must be supplemented.
It is necessary to offer food to young basilisks once a day, but adults can be fed 3-4 times a week.

Breeding in captivity:

The helmet-bearing basilisk becomes sexually mature at the age of 1.5-2 years. Basilisks can breed all year round. Females are able to carry out several clutches per year, which consist of 8-18 eggs. The female's pregnancy lasts approximately 2 months, after which she lays her eggs. All eggs laid are leathery and should be a uniform white color.

Females should be closely monitored and if they increase in size in the abdominal area, a container should be placed in the terrarium. It is recommended to choose a plastic container, about 20 cm high. A layer of sand, 2 cm thick and a layer of moss, 6 cm thick, must be placed on the bottom of the container. The substrate in the masonry container must always be moistened. As soon as the female completes the laying and leaves, she can be transferred to the incubator. The incubation process is 26-31 days, at a constant temperature of 26-34 ° C. The helmet-bearing basilisk has no instinct for caring for offspring, and therefore young individuals cannot be left with adults, as they can be eaten by their parents.

After hatching, the offspring of the helmet-bearing basilisks can not be fed for two days, since during this time they absorb the protein obtained from the egg. After that, they can begin to offer a crushed mixture of bananas, pears and apples. Small basilisks prefer to stay in thickets near water. They are very cautious, shy and agile - this is what saves them in the wild from numerous enemies.

The helmeted basilisk (lat. Basiliscus basiliscus) is a species of lizard from the basilisk genus. - diurnal lizard with long fingers and sharp claws. The prefix "helmet" received for the crest, which stretches from the head to the tip of the tail. The crest on the head of males is larger than that of females.

Most basilisks are up to 30 cm long and weigh 200-600 g, but there are also specimens up to 75 cm long. The tail of a basilisk is almost two thirds of its body length.

They are excellent swimmers, able to stay under water for half an hour. They also run well and fast, sometimes reaching ground speeds of up to 11 km/h.

If you watch the video of the Basilisk race (Basiliscus), then you get the impression that he is simply levitating on the water surface.

Of course, science could not lose sight of such an interesting phenomenon, so it launched a copy of the lizard into the pool, illuminated the surface of the water with lasers, and filmed the process of running on a high-speed camera. The result is interesting.

It turns out that the basilisk does not run on the water, but rows with its paws (paws without membranes, by the way), but it does it quickly and powerfully enough, which allows it to stay on the surface and not sink.

On the surface of the water, a basilisk can run up to 400 meters at a speed of 12 km / h.

And here is another runner arguing with the law of Archimedes and gravity :)

Sexual maturity occurs at 1.5-2 years. During the season, the female lays 3-4 clutches of 10-20 eggs. The incubation period is 8-10 weeks. Newborn lizards weigh about 2 g.

Basilisk mating can last up to 20 minutes. Pregnant females become fat after 2-3 weeks, at the same time they begin to look for a place to lay eggs.

Helmeted basilisks feed on insects, plant flowers and small vertebrates (snakes, fish, birds and their eggs). Basilisks are preyed upon by birds of prey, larger snakes, fish and reptiles.