Welcome to another post of my strange animals series where you get to meet some of the weirdest, coolest, and craziest animals in the world.
Today I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite lizards, the common basilisk. Scientifically described as Basiliscus basiliscus, on the outside this fella doesn't look anything special:
So what's so special about it? Well, its' common name, the "jesus christ list" definitely gives us a hint.
Walking on water is one of the best known miracles of Jesus recounted in the New Testament. And this lizard can do the exact same thing... well short of. It can't walk but it can run on water!
I am sure there are many doubting Thomases reading these lines, so here are some videos showing this amazing ability:
As the last video showed, the jesus christ lizard mainly uses the ability to run on water to flee from predators. But how does it achieves this amazing feat? Here's how it works:
Basilisks have large hind feet with scaly fringes on the sides of the third, fourth, and fifth toes. These are compressed against the toes when this lizard walks on land; but if it senses danger, it can jump into the water, opening up these fringes against the water's surface. This increases the surface area of the foot, thus allowing it to run on the water for short distances.This occurs in three steps. First is the slap, the downward movement of the foot that pushes water out and away from the leg. This also created pockets of air around the foot. Next is the stroke, the backwards movement of the foot, which propels it forward. Next is the recovery, when the foot comes up and out of the water and prepares to do the slap again. [source]
Depending on their age and size, these lizards can run on water a distance of 15 feet (about 4,5 meters) or more. Generally, juvenile lizards can run larger distances. Once gravity hits of and all momentum is lost the lizards can resort to swimming, they are very good at it! In most cases, the distance they have covered by running is more than enough to escape danger. Their ability to climb trees also comes in handy sometimes.
Other than its amazing ability to run water there's not much else really special to say about this animal so I will close this post with some basic facts about it:
- Distribution & Habitat: The species is very common in Central America, from Mexico into South America, found in rainforests, near rivers and streams.
- Size and Appearance: They are relatively large lizards, with adults growing up to 80 cm. The tail comprises 70 to 75% of the total body length. Both sexes are brown to olive, and males feature crests on their heads and tails to attract females.
- Diet: They are omnivorous animals, with their diet consisting of small insects (like beetles and dragon flies), flowers, small vertebrates, eggs, fish and various fruits.
- Behavior: They are diurnal animals (most active during the day) hunting using a sit-and-wait strategy. They spend most of the day near water, which they use to their advantage when fleeing from danger. In the night they rest on branches. Males are territorial and commonly bob their heads as a courtship gesture.
- Reproduction: Females become sexual mature at the age of about 20 months old, while it takes a bit less for males, about 16 months. However, it may take up to 4 years for a male to mate, until it has reached sufficient status in the hierarchy. Mating takes place almost all year round except for January and February and females lay 5 to 8 clutches of eggs which hatch about 90 days later.
See ya in the next post, in the meantime here's a cute baby lizard:
(credit)
More Strange Animal Stuff
If you enjoyed reading this post I am sure you will love some of my previous work:
- It's a Scorpion...It's a Fly...It's a Scorpionfly! (Panorpa communis)
- Hagfish Have One Of The Weirdest And Coolest Defense Mechanisms
- Weird MRI Photos, 3-Eyed Beetles, Deep Sea Creatures And Other Cool Animal Stuff
- Can You Guess What Animal Has The Biggest Penis In The World?
- Meet The World's Strangest Ants
- The Squid With The Human-Like Teeth! (Promachoteuthis sulcus!)
- Halloween Special: A Real-Life Monster Compilation
- Alien-Like Moth With Tentacles Terrifies The Internet - But Is This Creature Real?
Lizards, Jesus, and the Lung-gom-pa lamas of Tibet:
Lung-gom-pa
Legendary lamas who by means of psychic training could rush nonstop across vast distances of rugged landscape, running without end. Description of meeting a lung-gom-pa (by the French mystic-scholar Alexandra David-Neel who, disguised as a beggar woman, gained rare insight into common Tibetan life) in a wilderness where, for ten days, no fellow human being had been sighted: "By that time he had nearly reached up; I could clearly see his perfectly calm impassive face and wide-open eyes with their gaze fixed on some invisible far-distant object situated somewhere high up in space. The man did not run. He seemed to lift himself from the ground, proceeding by leaps. It looked as if he had been endowed with the elasticity of a ball and rebounded each time his feet touched the ground. His steps had the regularity of a pendulum. He wore the usual monastic robe and toga, both rather ragged. His left hand gripped a fold of the toga and was half hidden under the cloth. The right held a phurba (magic dagger). His right arm moved slightly at each step as if leaning on a stick, just as though the phurba, whose pointed extremity was far above the ground, had touched it and were actually a support. My servants dismounted and bowed their heads to the ground as the lama passed before us, but he went his way apparently unaware of our presence."
http://www.presscluboftibet.org/china-tibet-17/lung-gom-pa.htm
Ha, that was an interesting fairy tale. You seem to enjoy topics like that, you should post about these stuff instead of only travel blogs :D
But what if people were to ever find out I had no idea what I was talking about?!?? How embarassing!
we are on steemit, almost nobody reads post and I know how to keep secrets!
Amazing natur! Nice post
Hi @trumpman! You have received 0.1 tip SBD + @tipU upvote
from @giosou :)
@tipU - send tips by writing tip! in the comment, get share of the service profit :)
yea have seen this one before, never knew that was its common name though!
awesome!
Excellent post I think it's pretty. I had the opportunity to see one thanks to a friend who is a herpetologist. Although when I saw him standing on two legs I was intimidated a bit because I thought I could jump on top, lol. Greetings, I follow you.
Thanks for the follow. You can't imagine how jealous I am of you. Did you actually see it walk on water?
'Θεϊκός' τίτλος ! Χαχαχαχα.. Tip!
Ευχαριστω :*
What else what i'm going to say, JESUS CHRIST!
hehehe
Great post I'm busy with a article of the blue Whale for kids but I couldn't help my self to have a look at the penis sizes for blue whale
this maybe helpful: https://steemit.com/science/@trumpman/can-you-guess-what-animal-has-the-biggest-penis
:P
I had the opportunity to observe one of these lizards walking on the water and it was very impressive at the speed they were walking, they are unique and spectacular reptiles @trumpman
Damn! I am jealous :D
jejejeje that was in the Venezuelan Amazon near the Brazilian border about 7 years ago @trumpman :P
@trumpman Very interesting post. Upvoted
Thank you :D
I have a tip for another article: slow loris. ;-) The only venomous primate in the world. If You are interstest in slow loris, You will look here.
Cool thanks I will check it out!
the 3 video is so informative....its help me to know about LIZARD
Amazing how you read the post and watched the video in less than 3 minutes!
i recently finished your article....now watching ur videos...
nice
nice στα μούτρα σου μαλάκα
funny animal
woooow .... what was that animal?