The helmeted basilisk has a fabulous appearance. Basilisk plumifrons Breeding in captivity
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.
Your name helmed basilisk received due to 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
Living in humid tropical forests 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, and insects ( earthworms, crickets, mealworm larvae), snails, 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. 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 swimming pool. Minimum size The 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 and launch 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 in a small terrarium you should not use live plants - just put a snag on which the animals will spend most 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 time optimal temperature is approximately 24°C. Relative humidity quite high - 80-90%, which requires daily spraying of the terrarium. Moisturizing can be done twice a day using a sprayer. indoor plants. By the way, basilisks love to be sprayed! Like many tropical reptiles, basilisks need ultraviolet irradiation.
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. wildlife, for example, of plant origin: sprouted wheat grains, pieces of fruit (bananas, oranges, pieces of sweet pears) or cottage cheese, which, by the way, is very useful for them. Lizards in captivity need calcium, so it is recommended to debon it before feeding. feeding insects in crushed eggshell.
- genus of basilisks (Basiliscus plumifrons) noticeably different in appearance from other iguanas; they have a peculiar cutaneous decoration, which gives them an unearthly, and even fairy-tale appearance.
The helmeted basilisk has a bright green color, which makes them invisible among bushes and trees. Male helmeted basilisks are happy large lizards, on the back of their head there is a skin outgrowth that more closely resembles a large flat helmet, 4 cm high. A high ridge also runs along their back and paddle-shaped tail, which is covered with spinous and highly developed vertebral processes. Males and females of this species have a scaly border on the surface of the toes of the hind limbs. Surprisingly, these lizards have the ability to hold on and at the same time run very quickly on the surface of the water.
In the helmeted basilisk, compared to other species of this genus, the body length can reach from 50 to 80 cm, while they become heavier and can no longer stay on the surface of the water. They are also very good divers and swim wonderfully. On land, they are able to run across and also fly over long distances, pushing off only with their hind limbs.
The basilisk was nicknamed the “dragon” because it is very similar to a small copy of a dragon, and unique ability run on water, some call them (Jesus Christ lizards). Helmeted basilisks feed mainly on live insects. Central America inhabit 4 known species Basilisks. They live in woody, overgrown areas, or settle along the banks of tropical rivers.
The helmeted basilisk is an unusual lizard from the genus Basilisk. In my own way appearance she is very similar to a dinosaur. Helmet-bearing basilisks have the ability to float on the surface of the water and run quite quickly across it. They live in tropical forests, in thickets near rivers or in trees.
At night, reptiles sleep, and in the morning they go hunting. Their prey can be various insects, as well as chicks and even small fish, which they snatch directly from the water.
The character of basilisk lizards is quite timid. There are many in the jungle voracious predators who are hunting them. Many lizards do not even live to be two years old, as they become their prey. Basilisks are constantly on guard and at the slightest danger they immediately take flight.
The task of sexually mature males is to protect the territory. Females are responsible for food.
These lizards can be kept in captivity. At proper care, their lifespan can be about ten years. Basilisks are completely safe for humans. They are not aggressive or poisonous.
Description of the helmeted basilisk
This is a fairly large lizard with a bright green color. On the sides of the reptiles there are light inclusions. Basilisks have a small head with a wide mouth. On the back of their head they have a flat outgrowth about four centimeters long, which resembles a helmet. This is where these unusual lizards got their name.. On the back of these reptiles there is a crest, which is covered with vertebral processes. It is larger in males than in females. Basilisks have short forelimbs with long claws. The toes of the muscular hind limbs have a scaly edge.
Male weight maybe about 600 grams, but the weight of females is no more than 400 grams. Body length of these amazing lizards can reach 80 cm. The tail occupies two-thirds of the length of the lizard’s entire body.
Helmeted basilisks are excellent swimmers and divers. These animals are able to stay under water for about half an hour. On land, lizards also move very quickly. They can reach speeds of about ten kilometers per hour.
Maintenance and care of helmeted basilisks
Lizards can be kept in captivity, but for this they need a spacious vertical terrarium. For one adult basilisk you need a terrarium, the volume of which should be about 200 liters. It should contain plants that imitate thickets. There should also be branches and various driftwood that will serve as an imitation of trees.
To illuminate and heat the terrarium, special lamps for reptiles with ultraviolet radiation are used. They must work about 13 hours a day. During daylight hours, the temperature should be about 29 degrees, and at night it can be reduced to 21 degrees Celsius.
Since the habitat of helmeted basilisks is tropical rainforests, the humidity in the terrarium should be high (about 80%). In order to maintain it, it is necessary to spray the terrarium with water. Worth knowing that excessive humidity can contribute to the development of fungal infections in basilisks.
The character of helmet-bearing lizards is nervous and excited. It is very difficult to tame these animals. Only lizards of different sexes can be kept together. Two males should never be kept together. They cannot stand each other, they will constantly sort things out and start fights among themselves.
Diet of helmeted basilisks
Helmeted basilisks are omnivores. Their diet may include:
Twice a week you should add special vitamins for reptiles to your food. And also do not forget that food must be sprinkled with calcium.
Young lizards need to be fed twice a day. Adults are fed four times a week.
Reproduction of helmeted basilisks
To breed lizards was successful, it is necessary to properly house these animals. Great value when breeding have the following factors:
- Temperature.
- Humidity.
- Lighting.
Basilisks are considered sexually mature at one and a half to two years. They mate in about 20 minutes. Three weeks after pregnancy occurs, females begin to look for a suitable place to lay eggs. A clutch may contain more than fifteen eggs. Females can lay eggs about five times during the breeding season. The incubation period lasts about ten weeks. Then small basilisks are born. The body length of young reptiles is about 11 cm. Basilisks grow quite quickly. First days of newborns feed on the contents of the yolk sacs. When they are empty, young lizards go hunting for the first time.
Helmeted 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. It has the ability to run on water, keeping its body on the surface by rapidly alternating kicks of its 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 his hind legs thrashed the surface of the water at 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 dry land, climbed onto the shore and scurried 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.
Basilisk, also called basilisk, is quite unusual and beautiful name for a simple lizard. Why exactly this lizard received it, there are two versions. The first one talks about what she has on her head skin fold, resembling a crown. And the word basilisk, translated from Greek language means - the king of snakes.
The second version, more mythical, found similarities in the lizard with the invented basilisk, which had a rooster’s head with a tuft, a frog’s body and a long snake tail.
Types of basilisks
Scientists call lizards basilisks large sizes, which grow up to one meter long. But, despite such parameters, the individual itself is small because only one third of the animal is its body. All the rest - a long tail Basilisk.
They are divided into four types, which differ in color, size and place of residence.
— Basilisk vulgaris or helmet-bearing - inhabits the Center of America and Colombia.
— Double-crested basilisk- lives in the Panamanian and Costa Rican forests.
— Mexican striped basilisk- His homeland is Mexico and Colombia.
— Crested Basilisk, it lives in the Panamanian, western Colombian and Ecuadorian rainforests.
Description and character of the basilisk lizard
These lizards live in the countries of Mexico and America. They are inhabitants of wet tropical forests and everything is yours free time they sit on trees and bushes that grow near water. They also love to bask in the sun, climbing on a stone or dry branch.
Females and males of basilisks differ slightly in appearance. For example, a female is smaller than her male. A large fold of skin in the form of a triangular ridge grows on the head of male basilisks; in females it is practically invisible.
The crest also grows along the entire length of the back and up to half of the tail. Nature gave them such differences for a reason. Males actively guard their possessions, so they wear this outfit to intimidate uninvited guests.
If the male encounters a stranger on his territory, he inflates the skin pouch located on his throat, showing his aggression and superiority over the enemy.
For females, everything is different; like all women, they like to gather in a group near some eligible groom, and wash all his bones. And their instinct of self-preservation is more pronounced; girls prefer to remain invisible, disguising themselves as some kind of twig.
Lizards live in families; one male, as a rule, has two or three females, but nothing more, otherwise the women will not get along. Families of lizards live in one place and do not migrate anywhere.
Basilisks have very long fingers and large claws at the ends of their fingers. They need claws of this length to move freely through trees and bushes, and to sit on a branch for a long time, firmly grasping it.
These ancient animals weigh from two hundred grams to half a kilogram. But there are also larger specimens. The color of basilisks can be grassy green, or light brown with an olive tint.
Zoologists have noticed that lizards bred in captivity differ in color, with turquoise shades predominating. Their belly white, and light spots are visible on the back.
Although these lizards have a slightly unpleasant appearance, they are very timid by nature. And as soon as they feel alarm and danger, they immediately start to run away.
But this is only if they are not far from the water. And if there is no rescue reservoir nearby, they have no choice but to fall through the ground, that is, bury themselves in it.
They hide in forest floor from fallen leaves, rotten twigs and branches, or instantly burrowing into the sand. To prevent sand from getting into the animal's nostrils, it has special protective partitions there that slam shut at the right moment and block all exits and entrances.
And just like that, with its nostrils closed and completely immobilized, the lizard can be for a long time until she is completely sure that her life is not in danger.
They breed all year round, females lay eggs several times with an interval of three to four months between clutches. One clutch can contain up to ten eggs.
After two and a half months, offspring are born, but they immediately have to leave their parents' house and look for a place to live. Otherwise, the basilisk predator can easily eat its child.
Basilisks have many enemies in the water, on land and in the air. And if they can notice and hide somewhere in the thickets, then from some mammals leading night look life, lizards suffer the most.
Features of the basilisk lizard
Basilisks are the only ones in everything globe that are able to run on water. They do this when danger threatens, they run as fast as they can, on their hind legs, and don’t even think about drowning.
I wonder how they do it? The solution is simple, it's all about the paws. First of all, their fingers, they are so long that when immersed in water, they capture an air bubble with them, the leg does not sink.
Then between them there are small membranes that help to push off the water well. And of course the speed of movement, because out of fear, it reaches ten to twelve kilometers per hour. So, run By water basilisk maybe up to half a kilometer. Then, quite tired, he dives under the water and does not emerge for a whole half an hour!
Basilisk at home
The main thing you need to know when buying a lizard is that it is domestic. An individual caught by poachers and brought in later has very little chance of survival. During catching and transportation, she suffered enormous stress and, as a result, all the animal’s diseases worsened.
The terrarium should be voluminous and tall; its optimal size for one individual is two hundred liters. You need to plant a lot of greenery in the basilisk's new home; they will really like a ficus tree or dracaena.
Don’t forget about dry tree branches, snags and stumps, on which the lizard will warm its body under the lamp. It would be nice to install a pool; you can use a smaller aquarium.
It is already known that basilisks are shy, so the walls of the terrarium should be visible to the lizard. Use paper to cover the outside of them, or tint the windows with something.
Otherwise, following its instincts, frightened, the lizard will start to run and then it will definitely break against the glass wall, since it is not visible to the animal.
It is very important that basilisks live in pairs, but under no circumstances should you house two males. They will fight among themselves until one is left.
Basilisk food
The basilisk lizard is a predatory animal, so ninety percent of its diet should consist of meat, the rest plant food. Animals are very fond of newborn rats, mice and lizards.
You can also throw pieces into a pool or aquarium. raw fish. They will like various midges and insects, cockroaches and locusts, grasshoppers and worms.
Small lizards are fed several times a day and only with live food, always sprinkled with a nutritional supplement for reptiles. And an adult animal is fed four times a week, adding plant foods to the diet.
The terrarium should be heated with heating lamps, they are placed with reverse side so that the animal does not get burned. Only one half of the home needs to be made warm, the other half ten degrees cooler. You need to place two thermometers in the lizard’s house for constant monitoring. temperature regime.
Purchase an ultraviolet lamp for reptiles to control the lizard's daylight hours, it should last at least twelve hours.
This will significantly improve the body’s absorption of calcium, the animal will receive required quantity vitamin D, metabolism is normalized. By following all the rules of keeping, the animal has every chance of living hand in hand with you for ten years.