The green crested basilisks, a kind
of lizard, make up the scientific genus Basi of the family Corytopthanidae.
Their order is sauria. Sometimes people call basilisks "Jesus Lizards"
because they have special scales on their undersides which allow them to
swim above the water. This makes them look like they are walking on water.
Basilisks are related to iguanas,
and the females actually are often mistaken for iguanas. The males are
better recognized because of their crests. The males have a large green
crest down the back of their necks. The green crested
basilisks are 2 - 3 feet long. They have large bony ridges around their
eyes, and their heads are round with short necks. They have very long tails.
Their tails make up nearly 2/3 of their body length. Their back legs are
also very long. Their front legs are shorter and less powerful. They come
in a variety of colors, but mostly brown, green, and tan.
Basilisks are found on the tropical
coasts from Mexico to Ecuador. They are not known very well in the U. S.
A, because they are not very common here. In South America they are very
popular. They live mainly in the rainforests.
Basilisks eat insects and small
mammals. If you keep them as pets, they can be fed pinkies, or baby mice.
Basilisks lay one to seven eggs.
The eggs will hatch in about eight to ten weeks. It usually takes one to
two days for all the eggs to hatch. Babies are born knowing how to run,
climb, and swim, and do most of these activities on the day that they are
born. They become adults between 18-24 months.
The basilisks spend one part of
each day lying in the sun, another part in the water, and the rest on land.
They are very active. They can swim, climb, and run. Their most amazing
feature, as mentioned before, is that they can walk on water. They are
lightweight and run with their very powerful back legs. With the special
scales on their bellies, they are able to stay on top of the water. When
they get old, they are not quite as lively and cannot run on water as well.
They tend to sink.
Basilisks live for five to ten
years and are incredibly popular pets nowadays. Males are more popular
than females because of their appearance. Even though people keep them
as pets, they don’t like to be handled.
To find more information:
http://encarta.msn.com/index/conciseindex/30/030b6000.htm
http://www.park.pvt.k12.md.us/academics/middle/courses/tech6web/6c/samantha/
http://centralpets.com/pages/critterpages/reptiles/lizards/LZD2658.shtml
http://alaike.lcc.hawaii.edu/zoology101/Report_Files/gbasilik.htm
http://www.zoo.org/educate/fact_sheets/day/basilisk.htm
By: Jonathan