The basilisk lizard cannot be confused with anyone else because of its ability to move funny and run on water. Basilisk (Greek) little king") she is called because of her resemblance to a monster resembling a rooster, a snake and a lion, which can turn a person to stone with a glance (Greek mythology).
These lizards can run on water hind limbs 1.5 to 4.5 meters before settling on all fours to swim. Because of the way the basilisk runs through the water (the photo depicts this process), the reptile is called “Jesus Christ”.
Habitat
There are a lot of basilisks in tropical forests Central America. Their habitats extend from southern Mexico to Panama. Reptiles spend most of his time in the trees near the water. When lizards are in danger, they jump into the water (in an upright position).
Description
The basilisk belongs to the iguana family. The lizard grows to approximately 80 cm in length, including the tail, which makes up 70 to 75% of the total body length. The weight of the animal is less than 2 grams at hatching, and an adult weighs more than 500 grams. Females and males are brown to olive in color with a white, cream or yellow stripe on the upper lip and small stripes on the sides of the body. They are more contrasting in young individuals and disappear as the basilisk matures.
The lizard has long limbs with thumbs and sharp claws. The belly is usually yellow, the mouth is large and has many sawtooth teeth located on the internal sides jaws.
On the ground, the lizard can reach speeds of up to 11 km/h. Although these strange animals are best known for their ability to run on water, they are also excellent climbers, swimmers and even divers! Adults can stay underwater for up to half an hour!
In captivity, individuals usually reach the age of 7 years. However, they average duration life in wildlife considered much smaller due to predators (snakes, birds, turtles, possums). Today, these bizarre reptiles are on the verge of extinction, and therefore are under protection.
Behavior
Basilisk lizards are diurnal animals, so they are most active during the day, spending most of their time near water. At night they sleep on the branches. Disguising themselves by the color of the leaves is their main way of protecting themselves from predators. By the way, males divide territory, so violation of “personal space” entails conflict.
Nutrition
Omnivorous. Their diet consists of:
insects (beetles, ants and dragonflies);
small vertebrates (snakes, birds and their eggs, and fish).
Reproduction
Females are smaller, weighing about 200 grams. Males are distinguished by high crests on their heads and backs, which they use to impress females.
The female lizard reaches sexual maturity at the age of 20 months, while the males mature after 16 months of life. However, males cannot actually mate until they have achieved sufficient status in the dominance hierarchy, which can take 3-4 years.
The breeding season can last up to ten months. In January and February, mating is rare in a species of reptile such as the basilisk. The female lizard, being pregnant, prepares a shallow trench in which it then lays up to 20 eggs. Then the mother leaves them, and the babies must hatch on their own. On average, this occurs after about 88 days. Cubs are able to swim in water from birth.
Walk on water
Most animals that try to walk or run through water drown immediately because water, unlike solid soil, provides little support or resistance.
In order to understand how the basilisk lizard (there is a photo in the article) moves on the surface of the water, work was carried out to observe and record the run. The photographs give a complete picture of this miracle. Using computer programs, researchers compare adjacent frames of video, so they can see how the beads of water move, supporting the amphibian on the surface. This allows the reptiles to calculate their strength and prevent them from drowning.
Basilisks achieve running on water with the help of their long, fringed fingers on their hind limbs. They unfold in the water, increasing the contact surface area. The principle of such movement can be defined in three stages.
First, the foot slaps the water and pushes off its surface, while air pockets form around it. Next comes the backward movement of the foot, and the lizard’s body is pushed forward. At the end, the limb rises up out of the water, another pop occurs, and the cycle continues. The maximum distance traveled depends on the size and weight of the lizard. Young individuals, as a rule, run longer distances (from 10 to 20 m) than the older generation (up to 4.5 m).
This running is similar to riding a bicycle, but the moment you stop pedaling, the bicycle stops, loses balance and falls. The same thing happens when a basilisk (lizard) runs on water. The reptile stays on the surface only if it continuously works with its legs.
These reptiles South America remain one of the most mysterious creatures nature.
This amazing funny lizard was named basilisk. WITH mythical monster it has nothing to do with it. 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 separated into a separate category (the basilisk family). Basically, species differ in habitat, color and size.
Thanks to his 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 fraction of a second, the basilisk runs through the water at 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, another one characteristic feature this lizard. They feed on insects, berries, plants, small rodents and smaller lizards, including their own young. The absence of seasonality in tropical forests allows them 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 awaits them greatest danger 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. The most popular species among 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 do not tolerate stressful situations well. 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, since without a person of the opposite sex she may 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 food: 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.
Who is Basilisk? This is a monster, a mythical creature, and a malicious one at that, who has found refuge in the desert. With just one glance, it can kill all living things around, burn grass and trees, and turn stones into dust - this is the terrible picture they painted in the ancient world when describing this monster. But still, who was the prototype? mythical creature? We will probably never know the answer to this question, although many scientists have made more than one assumption, but have not come to one opinion. But now there are living Basilisks living on earth and they look like little dragons, but they are not scary at all, but on the contrary, very cute and funny. This is a whole family of lizards that live in the tropical forests of Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, and Northwestern Colombia. They are part large family corytophanid (iguanidae).
Basilisks (Basciliscus Basciliscus) spend most of their time on trees and snags and never go far from the water, and at the slightest danger they escape by running straight along the surface. This sight is truly amazing. Such an unusual ability of these reptiles to run on water prompted Karl Lineus to give them another name - the Jesus Christ lizard. They can actually travel some distance through the water, since the thin layers of skin that connect two adjacent toes on the hind legs form a movable membrane. The membrane opens when the paw approaches the water, thereby creating large area upon contact with the surface of a reservoir.
The force that the Basilisk puts into the downward movement of its legs creates pressure that keeps its body from falling so that it can move in an upright position. When the basilisk presses its paw into the water, an air-filled pocket forms around the foot. This pocket quickly fills with water, so the lizard must move its paws quickly so as not to start “plowing” through the water. When the paw is removed, the movable skin flaps on the toes fold, resulting in reduced friction with the air. This allows the lizard to run through water at speeds of 8 to 10 km per hour or 1.5 meters per second. Young and light reptiles can travel considerable distances through water before diving.
Adults also move quickly, but they weigh more and cannot run long distances on the surface of the water. Therefore, when a basilisk plunges into water, it continues to swim until it is far enough from its pursuer. Although this lizard tries to stay close to the water to avoid land-based predators, swimming only when necessary, it also has enemies in the water that would be just happy if the basilisk gave them a chance to catch it.
An amazing animal is found in the tropical forests of America - a lizard. helmed basilisk. Her distinctive feature is that she can run on water at high speed. For this reason, this unusual animal is sometimes called “the lizard of Christ.”
The helmeted basilisk is the brightest and funniest representative of the iguana family. Their lifespan is no more than seven years. Mostly they have a bright green color (sometimes you can find a brown individual), with spots or stripes on the skin. The area around the eyes and neck is more light color. Pretty basilisks large lizards. They can reach 60–80 centimeters in length, with more than half being in the tail. But basilisks of this size have difficulty moving through water. They are called helmet-bearing because of the ridge on their back. Basilisks live near water, hiding on the branches of trees and bushes. It is difficult to catch it, since the lizard has very good eyesight and lightning-fast reactions. Noticing the danger, the basilisk rushes headlong away. Moreover, he can also run fast on the ground (at a speed of up to 12 kilometers per hour). And sometimes a basilisk can hide under water and remain at a depth without emerging for up to half an hour. The “Christ lizard” feeds on insects, small rodents, tadpoles, fish, and can even eat berries and fruits. Seeing a potential victim, the basilisk rushes at it with a powerful throw and instantly devours it. At the same time, he balances with his tail.
Scientists used slow motion to examine the process of a basilisk running through water. It turns out that the lizard does not run through the water, but rows with its paws, and it does this while standing on its two hind legs. The webbed foot is very a short time(hundredths of a second) drops to the surface of the water so that between the water and the body there is an air cushion that protects the basilisk from getting wet. He splashes with his paws at a very high speed and powerfully, so the water does not have time to absorb him.
What looks like a complete miracle sometimes turns out to be a simple phenomenon nature. Over the course of evolution, more than 1,200 species of animals have developed the ability to walk on water, from tiny insects and spiders to reptiles, birds and even mammals.
In the photo: helmeted basilisk; nationalgeographic
Ants have never been known for their ability to swim, but latest research show that many of them operate surprisingly skillfully when surrounded by water. Among the 35 species of tropical ants studied, more than half showed high results in a kind of “swimming”, confidently staying on the water surface. This skill allows them to deftly escape from predators without sinking to the bottom. Such observations were published in an issue of the journal Modern Biology.
Photo: full-hd-wallpaper
Walking on water is not magic at all: physics can explain this phenomenon. Tiny animals can easily glide across the water surface due to the fact that their weight is supported by surface tension - the force that arises when water molecules “cling” to each other.
“Surface tension is a property that occurs when air and water come into contact, creating a trampoline effect on the surface,” explains John Bush, a professor at MIT who studies fluid dynamics.
Water striders
Photo: vokrugsveta.ru
There are about 340 species of water striders - insects that spend most of their lives moving along the water surface. They belong to the group of so-called gliders (gliders) - creatures capable of moving on water. Among their “colleagues” are fishing spiders and geckos.
By pressing on the water with its weightless legs, the water strider creates micro-depressions on its surface without piercing the top layer through. The impulses of the resulting tension set the insect in motion in small jolts. By alternately moving pairs of legs, the water strider glides through the water. Her measured steps create a trail of barely noticeable whirlpools that help her movement. The limbs of this elegant insect are covered with a layer of water-repellent hairs, which provides additional unsinkability.
Fishing spiders
Photo: Corbis
Along the river banks North America Fishing spiders live here - quite large creatures that can eat a minnow or a small frog. These arthropods mainly feed on insects, hunting through the water column. The fisherman stays afloat thanks to water-repellent hairs covering his paws.
The fishing spider has several styles of movement through water: during leisurely walks, it is likened to a water strider, and when chasing prey or escaping from predators, its step turns into a real gallop.
“When running, spiders alternate pairs of their legs, pushing off from the surface with each of them in turn. Thus, they literally throw themselves into the air, springing on the water,” says biology professor Robert Suter of Vassar College.
Among other things, these creatures are able to swim like a sailboat: catching the wind with their legs raised up, the spiders allow its breezes to pick them up and easily push them forward along the surface of the water. According to Professor Suter, this style of movement may facilitate spiders' travel long distances practically without energy consumption.
Dwarf geckos
The fragile Brazilian dwarf gecko, measuring about 4 cm in size, would seem capable of drowning in the smallest puddle. However, during the course of evolution, this lizard has acquired several tricks that allow it to remain safe in the rain forests that are its habitat.
Since the size of this reptile is very small, it can easily move through the water like water striders and fishing spiders. In addition, the gecko has water-repellent skin, which prevents the body from breaking the surface tension of the water.
Basilisk lizard
Basilisks, tree lizards Central America, they received the popular nickname “Jesus Christ Lizard” for their ability to walk on water. When frightened, basilisks can run on their hind limbs along the surface of a reservoir up to 4.5 meters.
The weight of basilisk lizards does not allow them to glide through water in calm state Therefore, scientists treat them as a group of “shock strikers” - animals forced to move intensely in order to stay afloat. The “impact” technique consists of rapidly striking a series of steps onto the water surface, breaking through the surface tension and receiving a response push. The impulse from each push is maintained for sufficient time for the next step, and the lizards have to exert great effort to stabilize your vertical position.
Western American grebe
West American grebes are birds that spend most of their time in bodies of water. Nature has endowed them with powerful legs and short wings, which create not very convenient conditions for a land-based lifestyle. The breathtakingly beautiful and complex ritual of courtship of these birds is called nothing more than a “rush”: the male and female synchronously turn around, make a rapid dash forward, rise sharply above the water and, with the furious flapping of their wings, “run” along the surface of the reservoir, moving over it. feet.
Moving in this way over distances of up to 9 meters, grebes take about 22 steps per second. The fingers of these birds do not have webs - their structure resembles small oars, which helps to level the position of the body when moving through the water.
Dolphins
Photo: hqoboi.com
Even such large animals as dolphins can “walk” through the water from time to time. Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society spokesman Mike Bossley has been studying the behavior of these mammals in an Australian port for 25 years. He recently announced the existence of such a phenomenon as “tail walking.” By vigorously slapping the water with their tail, dolphins are able to assume a vertical body position above its surface and thus move forward. During such a movement, only the tip of the tail remains immersed in water.
Dolphins successfully learn the trick of walking on their tail in captivity, but in free waters this phenomenon turns out to be quite rare. One day Bossley saw a female dolphin “walking” on her tail. Subsequently, all the local dolphins joined her, adopting her technique. Scientists find it difficult to name probable reasons similar walking. It is quite possible that dolphins are simply having fun in this way, having fun.
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