The helmeted basilisk (Basiliscus plumifrons) is one of the most unusual lizards that can be kept in captivity. Bright green in color, with a large crest and unusual behavior, it resembles a miniature dinosaur.
But, at the same time, the helmeted basilisk needs a fairly spacious terrarium, and it is nervous and completely tame. Although this reptile is not for everyone, with good care it can live quite a long time, longer than 10 years.
Habitat in nature
The habitat of the four existing species of basilisks is located in Central and South America, from Mexico to the coast of Ecuador. The helmeted one lives in Nicaragua, Panama and Ecuador.
They live along rivers and other water basins, in places abundantly heated by the sun. Typical places are thickets of trees, dense reeds and other thickets of plants. In case of danger, they jump from branches into the water.
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Helmeted basilisks are very fast, they run superbly and can reach speeds of up to 12 km/h, and can also dive under water in times of danger. They are quite common and do not have any special conservation status.
- The average size of a basilisk is 30 cm, but larger specimens are also found, up to 70 cm. Life expectancy is about 10 years.
- Like other types of basilisks, helmeted ones can run on the surface of the water for considerable distances (400 meters) before plunging into it and swimming. For this feature they are even called “Jesus lizard”, alluding to Jesus, who walked on water. They can also stay underwater for about 30 minutes to wait out danger.
- Two-thirds of the basilisk is the tail, and the crest on the head serves to attract the attention of the female and for protection.
Basilisk runs in the water:
In nature, helmet-bearing basilisks, at the slightest danger or fear, take off and run away at full speed, or jump from branches into the water. In a terrarium, they can crash into glass, which is invisible to them.
So it's a good idea to keep them in a terrarium with opaque glass, or cover the glass with paper. Especially if the lizard is young or caught in the wild. A terrarium measuring 130x60x70 cm is sufficient for only one individual; if you plan to keep more, then choose a more spacious one.
Since they live in trees, there should be branches and snags inside the terrarium that the basilisk can climb. Live plants are also good, as they shelter and camouflage the lizard, and help maintain air humidity.
Suitable plants are ficus, dracaena. It is better to plant them so that they create a shelter where the timid basilisk will be comfortable.
Males cannot tolerate each other, and only basilisks of different sexes can be kept together.
In nature:
Substrate
Various types of soil are acceptable: mulch, moss, reptile mixtures, rugs. The main requirement is that they retain moisture and do not rot, and are easy to clean. The soil layer is 5-7 cm, usually this is enough for plants and to maintain air humidity.
Sometimes, basilisks begin to eat the substrate, if you notice this, then replace it with something completely inedible. For example, a reptile mat or paper.
Lighting
The terrarium needs to be illuminated using UV lamps 10-12 hours a day. The UV spectrum and daylength are critical for reptiles as they help them absorb calcium and produce vitamin D3. If the helmeted basilisk does not receive the required amount of UV rays, it may develop metabolic disorders.
Note that the lamps must be changed according to the instructions, even if they do not fail. Moreover, these should be special lamps for reptiles, and not for fish or plants.
All reptiles should have a clear separation between day and night, so lights should be turned off at night.
Heating
Native to Central America, basilisks can nevertheless tolerate fairly cold temperatures, especially at night. During the day, there should be a heating point in the terrarium, with a temperature of 32 degrees, and a cooler part, with a temperature of 24-25 degrees.
At night the temperature can be around 20 degrees. For heating, you can use a combination of lamps and other heating devices, such as heated stones. Be sure to use two thermometers, one in a cool corner and one in a warm corner.
Water and humidity
In nature, helmeted basilisks live in fairly humid climates. In the terrarium, the humidity should be 60-70% or slightly higher. To maintain it, the terrarium is sprayed with water daily, monitoring the humidity using a hydrometer. However, too high humidity is also bad, as it promotes the development of fungal infections in lizards.
Basilisks love water and are excellent dives and swimmers. Constant access to water, a large body of water where they can splash, is important for them. It could be a container, or a special waterfall for reptiles, that’s not the point. The main thing is that the water is easily accessible and changed daily.
Feeding
Helmeted basilisks eat a variety of insects: crickets, zoophobus, mealworms, grasshoppers, cockroaches.
Some eat naked mice, but these should only be given occasionally. They also eat plant foods: cabbage, dandelions, lettuce and others.
They need to be cut first. Adult basilisks need to be fed plant foods 6-7 times a week, or insects 3-4 times. Young, twice a day and insects. The food should be sprinkled with reptile supplements containing calcium and vitamins.
Post navigationHelmeted 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, insects (earthworms, crickets, mealworm larvae), snails, and 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.
Helmeted Basilisk(Basiliscus plumifrons)
Class - reptiles
Order - scaly
Family - corytophanidae
Genus - basilisks
Appearance
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.
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.
Habitat
Inhabits the tropical rainforests of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama.
Prefers to stay in thickets along river banks.
Lifestyle
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.
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.
Reproduction
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. The incubation period is 8-10 weeks. Sexual maturity occurs at 1.5-2 years.
If you are going to buy a basilisk, it is better to take a pair - a female and a male, this will make it easier for them to live in captivity. To keep these lizards you need a spacious vertical type with a pool. The minimum size of the terrarium is 130x60x70 cm. The pool should be such that the lizard can fit in entirely. Since basilisks, unfortunately, have a habit of quickly polluting water, it will have to be changed frequently. Another way out is to design the pool according to the principle of an aquarium, providing it with a filter system. In this case, you can even plant aquatic plants in it and introduce some cheap and unpretentious fish. Then the animal will be content, having the opportunity to diversify its menu with fish, and observing the underwater activities of the lizard will be much more interesting!
Basilisks are very mobile, so you shouldn’t use live plants in a small terrarium - just put some snags on which the animals will spend most of their time. But if it’s large enough, then with the help of living plants you can create a corner of a real tropical forest! Plants must be strong enough so that your pets do not break them when moving.
Daylight hours for a basilisk are 12-14 hours. The illumination may not be very high, but extra light will not hurt. Daytime background temperature is 26-33°C (- up to 35°C). Like many other reptiles, basilisks require local heating. It can be organized using an incandescent lamp with a reflector, a mirror-coated lamp, or a special heating lamp for reptiles. It is necessary to install such a lamp at some distance from the snag - moving along it, the animals themselves will choose a place with a suitable temperature regime. To avoid thermal burns, place the heater in such a way that the lizard cannot get close to it. The animal should also be able to crawl to a cooler area of the terrarium to avoid overheating.
At night, the optimal temperature is approximately 24°C. The relative humidity is quite high - 80-90%, which requires daily spraying of the terrarium. Moistening can be done twice a day using a houseplant sprayer. By the way, basilisks love to be sprayed! Like many tropical reptiles, basilisks require ultraviolet radiation.
In captivity, you can offer them products that are sold in a pet store, or you can teach the basilisk to eat foods that are not typical for them in the wild, for example, of plant origin: sprouted wheat grains, pieces of fruit (bananas, oranges, pieces of sweet pears) or cottage cheese, which By the way, it is very useful for them. Lizards in captivity need calcium, so it is recommended to roll food insects in crushed eggshells before feeding.
Why zoologists named this harmless lizard in honor of the evil Basilisk, no one knows, but in nature it exists, as is the official name of the individual - helmet-bearing (can you see the helmet-like ridge 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 we talk about the characteristic features of the Basilisk, the tail is much longer than the body, about 2/3 of 80 cm, this 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...
Have you ever heard about a lizard that can run on water? Today you will have a great opportunity to meet her - after all, this is helmeted basilisk! We will tell you not only about the reptile’s habitat, but also about keeping it at home.
Description of the helmeted basilisk
Helmeted Basilisk- It is rather an ancient lizard, 30 cm long, weighing 250-600 grams. The first thing that catches your eye is the long fingers with rather sharp claws. But a special part is occupied by the reptile’s tail, which grows to almost 2/3 of the body length. Are you probably interested in running on water? It's true the helmed basilisk has this ability, allowing you to keep your body on the water thanks to alternating strikes of your hind legs on the water. In addition, the lizard is an excellent swimmer, staying under water without air for about half an hour. Basilisk accelerates on water at a speed of 12 km/h and can easily run 400 meters!
HABITAT AND LIFESTYLE OF THE HELMET BASILISK
Where do helmeted basilisks live?
Helmeted Basilisk is common in South and Central America, as well as in Florida.
The reptile reaches sexual maturity only at 1-5-2 years of age, but as soon as lizards reach this age, they begin mate more than once, because at one time the female can lay 3-4 eggs, and in a year from 10 to 20.
Helmeted basilisks feed mainly insects, small vertebrates such as birds, fish and snakes, but also plants and flowers.
Contents of the helmeted basilisk
Certainly, for content any reptile needs a terrarium in which you can install trees, branches, driftwood and various plants (dracaena, ficus). Moss, mulch and their mixture are excellent as soil (apply a layer of 5-7 cm). Of course, the terrarium must have lighting, the correct temperature and humidity. To ensure your pet can absorb calcium and regularly receive vitamin D, install a UV lamp, but only for 10-12 hours daily. Maintain the temperature in the terrarium at 24-25 degrees during the day and 20 at night.
You must understand that in nature helmeted basilisk lives with a humidity of 60-70%, which is why it is so important that he feels comfortable. Monitor the same humidity using a hydrometer, or spray your reptile's home yourself every day. A pond wouldn’t hurt either, because the basilisk loves water very much, it’s its element, so to speak. Your pet will definitely be grateful for such a purchase, where he can splash around and just relax.
At home you can feed your pet with crickets, mealworms, cockroaches, zoophobes, grasshoppers, cabbage, dandelions, lettuce. It is best to cut the plants before serving, but it is not recommended to leave only one type of food; it is best to alternate. We feed, for example, 4 times a week with plant food, and 3 times with live food. Nutrition daily!
So we found out that helmed basilisk really runs on water, and that it can be kept at home, like many reptiles. Follow our recommendations and your pet will be healthy and happy.
VIDEO: ABOUT LIZARDS
IN THIS VIDEO, WE OFFER YOU TO LEARN A LOT OF INTERESTING ABOUT HELMED BASILISKS
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