Green crested basilisk

Description

The Green-crested basilisk is a small iguana that is arboreal and lives in the tropical rainforests of Central America, always close to water.
Green with some blue dots on the entire body, it has a double crest on the head and another from the neck to the end of the tail. It has a long tail representing about two-thirds of its total length, which is generally not more than 80 cm, although it can be up to one metre, and weighs 600 grams. Females are smaller and has one smaller crest, only on the head.
They feed on insects, eggs and small vertebrates, defending themselves against predators by freezing in the vegetation, where they are invisible thanks to their cryptic colouring. When they must flee, they stand on their hind legs and run at great speeds, both on land and on the surface of water. This skill is due to the presence of folds of skin along their digits, which open when coming into contact with water, allowing the animals’ weight to be supported on the surface of the water for fractions of a second.
They are oviparous. The female lays between 2 and 15 eggs, which she buries in damp, warm sand next to the water. The eggs hatch after six to ten weeks.