Helmet-bearing basilisk is a daytime lizard with long fingers and sharp claws . On the head of males there is a comb. Most basilisks are up to 30 cm long and weigh 200–600 g, but there are also specimens up to 75 cm long. The basilisk's tail is almost two-thirds of the length of its body. These are excellent swimmers, able to stay under water for half an hour. They also run well and quickly, sometimes developing speeds on the ground up to 11 km / h. It has the ability to run on water, holding its body on the surface with rapidly alternating hits of its hind legs. A basilisk can run up to 400 meters along the surface of the water at a speed of 12 km / h.
Puberty occurs in 1.5–2 years. During the season, the female lays 3-4 clutches of 10-20 eggs. Newborn lizards weigh about 2 g.
Helmeted basilisks feed on insects , plant flowers , and small vertebrates ( snakes , fish , birds, and their eggs). Prey birds , larger snakes, fish and reptiles prey on basilisks.
There are two subspecies:
- Basiliscus basiliscus Linnaeus, 1758
- [ syn. Basiliscus americanus ]
- [ syn. Basiliscus guttulatus Cope, 1876 ]
- [ syn. Basiliscus mitratus Dumeril & Bibron, 1837 ]
- [ syn. Iguana basiliscus Latreille, 1802 ]
- [ syn. Lophosaura goodridgii Gray, 1852 ]
- [ syn. Ophryessa bilineata Gray, 1839 ]
- [ syn. Thysanodactylus bilineatus - Gray, 1845]
- Basiliscus basiliscus barbouri Ruthven, 1914
- [ syn. Basiliscus barbouri Ruthven, 1914 ]
Helmet-bearing basilisk is common in Central and South America (from Costa Rica to Venezuela ). Introduced to Florida .
