Animal Fact Sheets back Green Crested Basilisk Basiliscus plumifrons Classification and Range Basilisks belong to the lizard family Iguanidae. Basilisks live in the understory of rain forests from southern Mexico to Ecuador. Habitat Basilisks are usually found in trees and shrubs near water. Physical Characteristics Male basilisks are distinguished by a tall crest of skin on the head, similar to a cock's comb, which rises from the top of the head and extends down the mid-line of the back onto the first half of the tail.
Male basilisks can be up to two feet long, including the long, tapering tail.
Life Span 15 to 20 years. They are diurnal and are preyed upon by raptors, opossums and snakes. She then covers the newly laid eggs with soil and leaves. The eggs hatch 45-90 days later. Hatchlings cut slits in the parchment-like shell using an egg tooth on their snouts and take up to three hours or more to emerge fully from the shell.