Basiliscus plumifrons
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Iguania |
| Family: | Corytophanidae |
| Genus: | Basiliscus |
Rainforests in close proximity to running streams, like those in southern Mexico and northern Columbia. They should be moist lowlands with mature forest for the ideal location, as well as hot and humid.
Least Concern.
The Neat Stuff
The basilisk lizards as a group are also known as “Jesus Christ lizards” because of their ability to run across water. They are capable of doing this from birth as a means of escaping predators. Their long webbed rear feet trap bubbles of air underneath them, which the lizards then use to push off of the water when they are moving at high speed. (That speed being approximately 5 feet per second.) This trait has been studied extensively in hopes of developing robots that can move across the water in a similar manner.
The green, or plumed, basilisk is the largest basilisk species at up to 3 feet in total length. As the name suggests, the plumed basilisk has distinctive green coloration — however, patterning of the seems to vary on occasion.
The green basilisk is, uniquely, both arboreal and aquatic. This means that they can be found perched in trees and near water alike.