Green Basilisk

Scientific Name: Basiliscus plumifrons
Suborder: Sauria
Order: Squamata
Also Known As: Crested basilisk, plumed basitisk, double-crested basilisk, leafy plumb-tree basilisk

Description:
To 28 inches. Green or brown with lighter, often bluish-white spots. Iris orange. Abdomen yellow. High, flat crest on basal half of tail. Helmet and dorsal crests separated by a small gap. Granular dorsal scales. Ventral scales smooth or keeled. Fold of skin along the side of the toes that helps it run across the surfaces of ponds and streams. Toes with webbed margins. Males have crests on rear of head. Females have lower crests.

Distribution:
South America, Guatemala to Costa Rica. Primarily arboreal, close to water or riverbanks. Good swimmers and divers. Males are incompatible with each other.

Breeding:
Details unknown.

Nesting:
Egg-laying several times a year, up to 20 eggs per clutch, Incubation 70 to 150 days. Diet: Small insects, snails, frogs, fish, and lizards; occasionally fruit.

References:

The Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians, Tim R. Halliday and Klaus Adler, Editors. New York: Equinox (Oxford) Ltd., 1986.

Living Reptiles of the World, Karl P. Schmidt and Robert F. lnger. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1957.

The Completely Illustrated Atlas of Reptiles and Amphibians for the Terrarium, Fritz Jurgen Obst, Klaus Richter, and Udo Jacob. Translated by U.E. Friese. Neptune City, New Jersey: T.F.H. Publications, Inc., 1988.