Common basilisk | Facts & Information

Origin

Like the other species of the genus ( green Basilica, Brown Basilica and red-headed Basilica)it is called The Jesus Lizard for its ability to walk on water. The speed on the water is almost 10km / h over a distance of about 20m.

Adults walk only a few meters above the water because as they get older they become heavier and moving more cumbersome.

Some foreign names of the Basilica: English: common Basilisk, French: Basilique a bandes, German: Helmbasilisk, Spanish: Basilisco common, local name: Lagarto Jesucristo.

The common Basilica lives from sea level, 0m, up to 1200m.it is named after the Basilica in Greek mythology that can impel any being just by looking at it.

The Greek name Basilica means"little king".

Feeding the common Basilisk 

The common Basilica eats almost anything. Although it is omnivorous its diet is mostly covered by insects (crickets, etc.). Besides these, they consume small animals (snakes, birds, eggs and fish) flowers and some plants.

In captivity "prey" is offered to him several times a week.

Features common Basilisk 

The basilica is 70-80cm long (including the tail). From head to tail it has vertical stripes along the body. On the head, body(dorsal part) and tail can be seen crest only in males. Females only have a smaller crest on their heads.

In general the basilica is an active and curious lizard. They like to sit in the sun and relax by warming up to its rays.

Although in the wild you can see many basilicas, in captivity it is not good to keep 2 males together. They do not tolerate each other, they can have serious fights and can injure themselves quite badly, sometimes to death.

A couple of females and a male in a terrarium is enough(make sure they have space where they can move).

Never put chicken with adult basilicas, there is a chance that adults will consider the Young a tasty prey.

This is because they are inexperienced, small and vulnerable.

Reproduction common Basilisk 

The female reaches maturity in 18 months and the male at only 12 months. In the wild mating of this species is a privilege to observe.

Dominant males defend their female and territory against younger males. Young males usually do not mate until they become dominant males, i.e. after 3 years of age.

Most eggs hatch from July to February. The female will have several mates per season, sometimes it can even have 7 nests.

The nests contain 4 to 18 eggs. The first nests are smaller because the female is young, at first and why not smaller and will have 4 to 8 eggs maximum.

Adult females lay the most eggs. The eggs are 19-22mm long and 13-14mm wide. In captivity the eggs are somewhat larger.

The incubation period at 27grc temperature is 105-115 days, and at 30grc temperature is 60-75 days. Incubations of 140-150 days were also recorded. The eggs grow a little during incubation.

The Young Born are 10 to 13cm long and weigh 2-3 grams. In about 7 months the male's crest on the head begins to grow, followed by the one on the body.

From the age of one year males have to find their own territories because they begin to no longer tolerate each other.

In the wild they can reach the age of 7 years, but usually do not exceed 5-6 years.