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Common Basilisk

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Insects, Reptiles and
Fish

               iCommon Basilisk
           Scientific classification

   Kingdom:  Animalia
   Phylum:   Chordata
   Class:    Sauropsida
   Order:    Squamata
   Suborder: Sauria
   Family:   Corytophanidae
   Genus:    Basiliscus
   Species:  B. basiliscus

                                Binomial name

   Basiliscus basiliscus
   (Linnaeus, 1758)

   Basiliscus basiliscus or basilisk is a lizard found in Central and
   South American rainforests near rivers and streams. It is up to 75 cm
   (2.5 feet) long including the tail and eats insects, small
   invertebrates, flowers, and small vertebrates like snakes, birds, and
   fish.Its predators include large birds of prey, snakes, fish, other
   large reptiles, and mammals. This animal is not endangered.

   It is part of the iguana family. It, along with the Brown basilisk, has
   the nickname "Jesus Christ Lizard" or "Jesus Lizard" because when
   fleeing from a predator, it is very fast and can even run on top of
   water for a brief while.

   Basilisks have large hind feet with flaps of skin between each toe.
   These are rolled up when the animal walks on land. If the animal faces
   danger, it starts to run very fast on the surface of a river or a lake.
   Then the flaps on its hind feet are opened and thus more surface area
   is provided for it to run on water.

   Smaller basilisks can run about 10-20 m on the water surface without
   sinking, and can usually run farther than older ones. Like most
   reptiles, basilisks are active during the day. They have long toes and
   sharp claws. Most are under 25 cm (1 foot) in length, but some may grow
   up 75 cm. Basilisks usually weigh between 200-600 grams.

   Their maximum lifespan is probably around 7-8 years, but in the wild,
   most die much sooner. Females lay about 2-18 eggs, five to eight times
   a year. Eggs hatch after about three months and the young weigh about 2
   grams. Their outstanding camouflage allows them to remain motionless
   and very hard to detect.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Basilisk"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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