Helmet-bearing basilisk. The helmeted basilisk has a fabulous appearance. What does the helmeted basilisk lizard do?
This amazing funny lizard was named basilisk. It has nothing in common with the mythical monster. On the contrary, the basilisk is a timid and cautious reptile.
The head is simply crowned with a crest that resembles a crown. Hence the name “Tsarek” (basilisk). The most intriguing and interesting thing for us is the amazing ability basilisk running on water.
True, only 300-400 meters. Only young individuals (weighing no more than 50 grams) have this ability. But this spectacle is impressive. We conducted a study to understand how the lizard manages such a trick. It turned out that she succeeds in this due to her speed, the structure of her paws, tail and not heavy weight.
Types of basilisks
There are four varieties of basilisks: crested, striped, common and helmeted. If earlier they were classified as a family, now they are classified as separate category(basilisk family). Basically, species differ in habitat, color and size.
Thanks to its light weight and webbed feet, the basilisk can run on water.
Description and character of the basilisk lizard
Anatomy, a clear manifestation of adaptation to natural environment a habitat. Body coloring from green to brownish tones is a natural camouflage. It allows you to hide and remain unnoticeable to enemies among tropical forests Central America.
Juveniles have white spots or oblong stripes that disappear over time. Starting from the head, a wavy ridge runs along the entire length of the thickened part of the body. In males it is more pronounced. The hind legs are longer and more powerful than the front legs. At the end there are sharp, tenacious claws.
Shifting its hind legs at a speed of a split second, the basilisk runs through the water with high speed(one and a half meters per second). It is this acceleration that contributes to the formation of an air cushion that holds it on the surface.
Crested basilisk
In addition, the basilisk is a good swimmer and can stay in water for up to an hour. While jogging across the water surface on its hind legs, it balances long tail. If the whole body can reach 80 cm, then the tail is twice as long as the body.
Interesting fact, Basilisk one of the few reptiles capable of locomotion hind legs(bipedalism). Sharp claws allow her to climb trees perfectly. This is a nimble, fast and nimble creature, running on land at a speed of more than 10 km/h.
Features of the basilisk lizard
Omnivorousness is another characteristic feature of this lizard. They feed on insects, berries, plants, small rodents and smaller lizards, including their own young. Lack of seasonality in tropical forests, allows you to bear offspring throughout the year, up to four times. The basilisk lives on average ten years.
Basilisk hunts butterflies
With complete, to put it mildly, indifference to their offspring, these lizards live in polygamous families. One male and several females. At the same time, the male will not tolerate the presence of a competitor, and will fight for his small harem and territory.
Lizards are awake during the day and rest at night. It is at night that the greatest danger awaits them in the tropical forest. Large, predatory and mammals attack the lizard most often at night.
But there is a more formidable enemy, man. Due to merciless deforestation in Costa Rica, Guiana and other regions, the existence of lizards is under threat. The second reason, which can significantly reduce the population, is the fashion for exotic animals. Most popular view Among the poachers are helmeted basilisks.
They are ruthlessly caught and transported in unsuitable conditions. These lizards are quite delicate creatures, so only a tenth survive. They don't tolerate it well stressful situations. But it is possible to breed them in captivity.
Basilisk at home
The most popular exotic reptiles for the home are Basilisks. They learned to grow them at home. Wild individuals do not take root well in an unnatural environment, unlike those bred in an incubator.
It is characteristic that the color of domestic basilisks has changed slightly. It became not bright green, but bluish. Contain lizard basilisk It’s better in pairs, because without a person of the opposite sex, she can get bored.
Each basilisk needs a terrarium of up to 200 liters. In addition, a swimming pool is required. It is necessary to create conditions as close to natural as possible. That is, the bottom of the terrarium should be sandy or with small pebbles.
The arrangement of the living area should include driftwood, moss, and plants. Temperature (25-35 degrees) and light conditions (up to 14 hours) are very important for reptiles. To do this, install heating and daylight lamps.
Basilisk food
The diet should be balanced. The basis is plant foods: sprouted wheat, carrots, apples, bananas, fruits. The part must consist of insects. It is advisable to periodically feed small rodents or lizards.
In the photo there is a baby basilisk
For laying, make a nest with wet moss and a sandy bottom. After the female lays her eggs, they are collected and raised in an incubator (up to 30 days). Nature pleases us with the variety of fauna forms; one of her masterpieces is the basilisk. For its ability to glide across the water surface, it is also called the Jesus Christ lizard.
Why zoologists named this harmless lizard in honor of the evil Basilisk, no one knows, but in nature it exists, as it does official name individuals - helmet-bearing (helmet-like crest, do you see on the head?) Basilisk. The habitat is exclusively the territory of Central America, therefore, in order to observe Basilisks, of which there are 4 species, you will have to cross the ocean.
If speak about characteristic features Basilisk, then the tail is much longer than body, approximately 2/3 of 80 cm, is the length of the lizard. The body and tail are flattened on the sides, something like a “thickened knife blade” and a sharp ridge along the entire back. In general, scale up for thrillers and shoot live “dinosaurs” without resorting to layouts or imagination. A scary lizard, you see for yourself. But at the same time, it is a herbivore and vegetarian, and therefore harmless to other inhabitants of Central America.
Based on the correct answer, the places for the Basilisk to live are trees growing near rivers, and danger forces it to run on water, sensing which, the lizard first begins to menacingly rotate its head, and then rushes away through the water.
P.S. The question remained open: I didn’t understand, reading about Basilisks, why nature prescribed it to have 100 teeth when it feeds on grass...
Helmeted basilisk (lat. Basiliscus basiliscus) is a species of lizard from the genus Basilisk. - diurnal lizard with long fingers and sharp claws. He received the prefix “helmet-bearing” for the crest that 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 basilisk's tail makes up almost two-thirds of its body length.
They are excellent swimmers, able to stay underwater for up to half an hour. They also run well and quickly, sometimes reaching ground speeds of up to 11 km/h.
If you watch a video of a basilisk running, you get the impression that it is simply levitating across the water surface.
Of course, science misses this interesting phenomenon I couldn’t, so I launched a specimen of the lizard into the pool, illuminated the surface of the water with lasers, and filmed the running process with a high-speed camera. The result was interesting.
It turns out that the basilisk does not run through 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 drown.
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 Archimedes' law and gravity :)
Puberty occurs at 1.5-2 years. During the season, the female lays 3-4 clutches of 10-20 eggs. Incubation period is 8-10 weeks. Newborn lizards weigh about 2 g.
Mating in basilisks 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 hunted predator birds, more large snakes, fish and reptiles.
Helmeted basilisk (lat. Basiliscus basiliscus) is an arboreal lizard that lives in the tropical rainforests of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama. Prefers to stay in thickets along river banks.
Adult lizards reach a length of up to 60-80 cm. The basilisk's tail makes up almost two-thirds of the length of its body. They are excellent swimmers, able to stay underwater for up to half an hour. They also run well and quickly, sometimes reaching ground speeds of up to 11 km/h. Possesses, keeping its body on the surface with rapidly alternating strikes of the hind legs.
The helmeted basilisk got its name because of its bright green color and distinctive crest starting on the head and ending on 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 long ... losing his balance, he fell like a stone into a black river, immediately plunged into the water, but a moment later found himself on the surface and ran across the water. carried in front of him, his tail bent upward, and with his hind legs he thrashed the surface of the water with the speed of a machine gun. The speed of the splashing was so significant that the lizard did not drown. Before we had time to figure out how he was doing it, the basilisk reached the land, climbed onto the shore and darted away. through the branches..." wrote Archie Carr, an American zoologist.
Helmeted basilisks are omnivores, feeding on greenery covered with dark leaves, a small amount of vegetables, and insects ( earthworms, crickets, mealworm larvae), snails, small frogs.
Mating in basilisks 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.
Titles: helmeted basilisk, green basilisk.
Habitat: Central America.
Lifespan: 7 years.
The helmeted basilisk is an arboreal lizard native to the tropical rainforests of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama. Prefers to stay in thickets along river banks.
The helmeted basilisk got its name because of its bright green color and distinctive crest starting on the head and ending on the tail. The crest on the head of males is larger than that of females.
Adult lizards reach a length of up to 60-80 cm. The basilisk's tail makes up almost two-thirds of the length of its body. They are excellent swimmers, able to stay underwater for up to half an hour. They also run well and quickly, sometimes reaching ground speeds of up to 11 km/h. It has the ability to run on water, keeping its body on the surface by rapidly alternating kicks of its hind legs.
The terrarium contains many artificial plants that create hidden places. The daytime temperature is on average about 29.4"C (in the heating area - 35.5"C), in the cool part of the terrarium - 26.6"C. At night the temperature is reduced to 21"C.
For lighting and heating, lamps with a full spectrum of ultraviolet radiation are used for 12-13 hours a day.
The terrarium maintains high humidity (80-90%). A wide shallow saucer with fresh water. Once a day, water is sprayed over the substrate. The substrate is soil or a slightly damp mixture of peat moss, soil and sand.
Helmeted basilisks are omnivores, feeding on greenery covered with dark leaves, a small amount of vegetables, insects (earthworms, crickets, mealworm larvae), snails, and small frogs. Sometimes you can add some fruit to your diet. Don't forget to sprinkle the food with calcium powder and reptile vitamins (2 times a week).
Young basilisks are fed once a day, adults - 2 times a week.
To successfully breed helmeted basilisks in captivity, proper humidity, temperature and light must be maintained at all times. Basilisks reproduce when high humidity(about 80%) and at average temperatures of 26.6"C, duration daylight hours is 12 hours. Before the breeding season, males and females are separated from each other.
Mating in basilisks 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. Eggs are incubated at a temperature of about 28.8 "C in a mixture of water and vermiculite (1 part water and 1 part vermiculite). The incubation period is 8-10 weeks. Sexual maturity occurs at 1.5-2 years.
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