Common Basilisk
Encyclopedia
The Common Basilisk is a lizard
found in Central
and South America
n rainforests near rivers and streams.The basilisk is part of the corytophanid
family. It is also known as the Jesus Lizard, Jesus Christ Lizard, or Lagarto de Jesus Cristo for its ability to run on the surface of water.
made up of parts of a rooster
, snake
, and lion which could turn a man to stone by its gaze: the Basilisk
. Its generic
, specific
and common names all derive from the Greek
basilískos (βασιλίσκος) meaning "little king". The specific epithet
was given in Carolus Linnaeus
' 10th edition
of Systema Naturae
.
Nicknamed the “Jesus Christ Lizard,” this extraordinary reptile may run on water when threatened. This spectacle can be readily witnessed; of all large lizards in Costa Rica, this species is the most commonly encountered, especially along streams and lakes. It is more numerous in the dry northwestern region of the country. Adults often bask in daylight near water when they are not foraging or resting. At night they sleep on perches close to the ground or as high as 20 m.
When startled, the Common Basilisk escapes by speeding to the nearest edge of water—and continues sprinting. The lizard runs on only its hind legs in an erect position, holding its arms to its sides. This basilisk is so adroit on water because its feet are large and equipped with flaps of skin along the toes; when moving quickly, the lizard can cross a surface of water before sinking. On water it runs an average speed of 8.4 km/h (or 5.2 mph), which is just a little slower than its speed on land. Younger basilisks can run 10 to 20 meters on water, while adults cross only a few meters before sinking. Adults do not move slowly, but they weigh more and cannot sprint for as long a time. Once a basilisk submerges, it continues swimming until it is sufficiently far from its pursuer—if the predator has followed past the bank. Although this lizard stays close to water to escape terrestrial predators, it swims only when necessary because there are aquatic animals that would be just as happy to eat the basilisk given the chance.
this basilisk can be found as high as 1,200 m in some places. The species ranges from southwestern Nicaragua to northwestern Colombia on the Pacific side, and from central Panama to northwestern Venezuela
on the Atlantic side. In Costa Rica it is mostly found on the Pacific side of the country. The equivalent species on the Atlantic side is the Green Basilisk, which occupies similar habitats and has similar biology. It has been introduced to Florida
as a feral
species.
The common basilisk has a large mouth with saw-like teeth that are on the inner sides of the jaw. They have been known to run up to 7 mi/h. While the basilisk is most known for its ability to run on water, they are also excellent climbers and swimmers; the basilisk has been known to stay underwater for up to half an hour. The average lifespan is 7 years in captivity; in the wild it tends to be less because of predators.
, and has a diet consisting of insect
s, flowers and small vertebrates such as snake
s, bird
s, eggs
and fish
.
a year. Eggs hatch after about three months and the young weigh about two grams. Their outstanding camouflage allows them to remain undetected when they remain still.
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
found in Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n rainforests near rivers and streams.The basilisk is part of the corytophanid
Corytophanidae
Corytophanidae is a family of lizards also called casque head lizards or helmeted lizards. They typically have well-developed head crests in the shape of a casque. This crest is a sexually dimorphic characteristic in males of Basiliscus, but is present in both sexes of Corytophanes and Laemanctus...
family. It is also known as the Jesus Lizard, Jesus Christ Lizard, or Lagarto de Jesus Cristo for its ability to run on the surface of water.
Taxonomy and etymology
The Common Basilisk is named for the creature of Greek mythologyGreek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
made up of parts of a rooster
Rooster
A rooster, also known as a cockerel, cock or chanticleer, is a male chicken with the female being called a hen. Immature male chickens of less than a year's age are called cockerels...
, snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
, and lion which could turn a man to stone by its gaze: the Basilisk
Basilisk
In European bestiaries and legends, a basilisk is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance...
. Its generic
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, specific
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
and common names all derive from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
basilískos (βασιλίσκος) meaning "little king". The specific epithet
Epithet
An epithet or byname is a descriptive term accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, divinities, objects, and binomial nomenclature. It is also a descriptive title...
was given in Carolus Linnaeus
Carolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
' 10th edition
10th edition of Systema Naturae
The 10th edition of Systema Naturae was a book written by Carl Linnaeus and published in two volumes in 1758 and 1759, which marks the starting point of zoological nomenclature...
of Systema Naturae
Systema Naturae
The book was one of the major works of the Swedish botanist, zoologist and physician Carolus Linnaeus. The first edition was published in 1735...
.
Nicknamed the “Jesus Christ Lizard,” this extraordinary reptile may run on water when threatened. This spectacle can be readily witnessed; of all large lizards in Costa Rica, this species is the most commonly encountered, especially along streams and lakes. It is more numerous in the dry northwestern region of the country. Adults often bask in daylight near water when they are not foraging or resting. At night they sleep on perches close to the ground or as high as 20 m.
When startled, the Common Basilisk escapes by speeding to the nearest edge of water—and continues sprinting. The lizard runs on only its hind legs in an erect position, holding its arms to its sides. This basilisk is so adroit on water because its feet are large and equipped with flaps of skin along the toes; when moving quickly, the lizard can cross a surface of water before sinking. On water it runs an average speed of 8.4 km/h (or 5.2 mph), which is just a little slower than its speed on land. Younger basilisks can run 10 to 20 meters on water, while adults cross only a few meters before sinking. Adults do not move slowly, but they weigh more and cannot sprint for as long a time. Once a basilisk submerges, it continues swimming until it is sufficiently far from its pursuer—if the predator has followed past the bank. Although this lizard stays close to water to escape terrestrial predators, it swims only when necessary because there are aquatic animals that would be just as happy to eat the basilisk given the chance.
Range and habitat
The Common Basilisk is found throughout Central and South America usually living in low elevations, from sea level to 600 m. In Costa RicaCosta Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
this basilisk can be found as high as 1,200 m in some places. The species ranges from southwestern Nicaragua to northwestern Colombia on the Pacific side, and from central Panama to northwestern Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
on the Atlantic side. In Costa Rica it is mostly found on the Pacific side of the country. The equivalent species on the Atlantic side is the Green Basilisk, which occupies similar habitats and has similar biology. It has been introduced to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
as a feral
Feral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
species.
Description
The Common Basilisk can be distinguished from similar species within its range by its large size and the high finlike crests down its back. Males also have high crests on the head and tail. Both sexes are brown to olive, and have a white, cream or yellow stripe on the upper lip and a second stripe along either side of its body; these stripes have higher contrast in juveniles and fade as the lizards age. Hatchlings weigh a mere 2 g and are 37 to 43 mm long. Adults can grow up to two and a half feet long. Females are generally 135 to 194 and weigh half as much as males. The tails of these lizards comprise 70 to 75% of their total length: for example, on an 800 mm (or 31.5 in) long lizard, 600 mm of its length is tail.The common basilisk has a large mouth with saw-like teeth that are on the inner sides of the jaw. They have been known to run up to 7 mi/h. While the basilisk is most known for its ability to run on water, they are also excellent climbers and swimmers; the basilisk has been known to stay underwater for up to half an hour. The average lifespan is 7 years in captivity; in the wild it tends to be less because of predators.
Diet
The Basilisk is an omnivoreOmnivore
Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...
, and has a diet consisting of insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, flowers and small vertebrates such as snake
Snake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
s, bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, eggs
Egg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
and fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
.
Predators
The Basilisk has many natural predators; large reptiles, birds, and some mammals. To avoid predators the Basilisk can conceal itself under leaves on the forest floor and can remain motionless for a long time. When the Basilisk must flee, though, its skill of running on water can help it avoid many predators.Reproduction
Females lay three to four clutches of 10–20 eggsEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
a year. Eggs hatch after about three months and the young weigh about two grams. Their outstanding camouflage allows them to remain undetected when they remain still.
Locomotion on water
The Common basilisk, along with the other members of its genus, take the nickname the "Jesus Christ Lizard" or "Jesus Lizard" because when fleeing from predators, they gather sufficient momentum to run across the water for a brief distance while holding most of their body out of the water (similar to the Biblical miracle of Jesus walking on water). Basilisks have large hind feet with scaly fringes on the sides of the third, fourth, and fifth toes. These are compressed against the toes when this lizard walks on land; but if the basilisk senses danger, they can jump into the water, opening up these fringes against the water's surface. This increases the surface area of the foot, thus allowing them to run on the water for short distances. The mechanics of this work in three steps. First there is the slap, this is the downward movement of the foot that pushes water out and away from the leg. This also created pockets of air around the foot. Next is the stroke, this is the backwards movement of the foot, which propels them forward. Next is the recovery, this is when the foot comes up and out of the water and prepares to do the slap again. Smaller basilisks can run about 10–20 m without sinking. Juveniles can usually run farther than older basilisks, while holding more of their body above the surface.External links
- National Geographic Video of basilisk lizard Running on surface of water
- http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/green-basilisk-lizard/
- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/11/1116_041116_jesus_lizard_2.html