Facts About Green Basilisk Lizard

There are many who may be disgusted at the sight of a lizard's 'home-coming' or rather perturbed by the look of it whenever your eyes accidentally spot the creature. However, one species that may force you to divert your perception is the green basilisk lizard. It is an extremely gorgeous fauna to behold. It could be the most enchanting experience for an individual to view a sight of such worth. The green basilisk, as the name suggests, is green in color; though some could sport a brownish tinge of body color as well.

The basilisk lizard is either green in color or it may be brown in color. However, the prevalence of green basilisk is greater than the brown ones. The male basilisks have a crest on their head and when mature, develop a crest on their back as well. On the contrary, female basilisks are not blessed with such ornately designed bodies.

They weigh approximately 7 oz. when mature. Their tales constitute a majority of their body size (in terms of length) and weight. Females are smaller in size and may slightly differ in weight.

There are four existent species of this reptile:

• Brown Basilisk Lizard (Basiliscus vittatus).
• Common Basilisk (Basiliscus basiliscus).
• Red-headed Basilisk (Basiliscus galeritus).
• Green Basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons).

The basilisk lizard is negatively susceptible to touch and attention. It will escape as soon as it senses danger. Males are said to be extremely dominant in nature and will always strive to rule when they have a weaker counterpart around. They move their head rapidly without much ado, when they spot a female around; this is their way of showing curtsy to attract a potential mate!

Well, this fact, that you are about to read, can get you thoroughly enchanted as this lizard can run on water! When the need arises, the lizard can run on water with large leaps of up to 5 feet and may continue doing so for a distance of 15 feet before diving into the waters and swimming with dexterity. It is due to this reason that the lizard is also christened the Jesus Christ Lizard!

The habitat of green basilisk includes the tropical rain forests of Central America, covering parts of Mexico and Panama. Natural sunlight is what they require, however they prefer to stay in an environment that is bearably cool and shady. Surroundings that have a water body, is found to be apt by/for them.

Their daily diet constitutes mealworms, waxworms, bugs and ants. They are also fond of wild flowers. There are probabilities that large snakes, and birds may feast upon these lizards.

The Female basilisks possess the ability to lay batches of 8 to 18 eggs on an average. It is then that the batches of eggs are buried underground for hibernation. This process will take 60 to 80 days on an average to hatch. As soon as they hatch, they are able to run on water and swim to save their life. With reference to their longevity; their life span maybe denoted as 7 to 8 years.

Green basilisk lizards are a beauty on the brink of wearing the endangered tag. With this article, I would like to believe that it has created awareness and a prospect of preservation for this very precious species.