|
Corytophanidae
Corytophanidae is a family of iguanian lizards, also called casquehead lizards or helmeted lizards, endemic to the New World. Nine species of casquehead lizards from three genera are recognized. Geographic range Corytophanids are found from Mexico, through Central America, and as far south as Ecuador. Certain species are now extant in South Florida and are considered invasive. Description The casquehead lizards are moderately sized lizards, with laterally compressed bodies, and typically have well-developed head crests in the shape of a casque helmet. This crest is a sexually dimorphic characteristic in males of ''Basiliscus'', but is present in both sexes of ''Corytophanes'' and ''Laemanctus''.Pough et al. (2003). In past years there has been evidence of corytophanids in the Eocene of North America. The greatest percentage of omnivorous species (> 10% plant diet), over 30% in each, and the highest mean percentage of plant matter in the diet are corytophanids. Behavior In ''C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Babibasiliscus
''Babibasiliscus'' is an extinct genus of casquehead lizard (family Corytophanidae) that lived in what is now Wyoming during the early Eocene, approximately 48 million years ago. The genus is known from a single species, ''Babibasiliscus alxi'', which was named by paleontologist Jack Conrad in 2015 on the basis of a fossilized skull from the Bridger Formation in the Green River Basin. The name ''Babibasiliscus'' comes from the Shoshoni word ''babi'', meaning "older male cousin", and ''Basiliscus'', a modern-day genus of casquehead lizards. The specimen is undeformed and nearly complete except for the tip of the snout and the top of the skull, making it unclear whether the distinctive bony crest of living corytophanids was present in prehistoric relatives like ''Babibasiliscus''. The skull is about in length and the entire body is estimated to have been about long. Bones on the right side of lower jaw of the specimen are thickened and fused together, suggesting that the jaw had ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Geiseltaliellus
''Geiseltaliellus'' is an extinct genus of iguanian lizards that lived in what is now western Europe during the Eocene. It belongs to the family Corytophanidae, which includes modern casquehead lizards. Many fossils are known from Germany, France, and Belgium, with the most well preserved coming from the Messel pit lagerstätte in Messel, Germany. German paleontologist Oskar Kuhn named the genus in 1944 after the Geiseltal valley where the first specimens were found, designating the type species ''Geiseltaliellus longicaudus''. Three new species — ''G. louisi'', ''G. lamandini'', and ''G. grisolli'' — were named in the 1990s and 2000s on the basis of more fragmentary remains from France and Belgium, although ''G. louisi'' has since been synonymized with ''G. longicaudus''. In 2009 the Messel pit specimens were recognized as belonging to a species distinct from that of the ''G. longicaudus'' specimens in Geiseltalt and were collectively reclassified under a new name, ''G. maariu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iguania
Iguania is an infraorder of squamate reptiles that includes iguanas, chameleons, agamids, and New World lizards like anoles and phrynosomatids. Using morphological features as a guide to evolutionary relationships, the Iguania are believed to form the sister group to the remainder of the Squamata, which comprise nearly 11,000 named species, roughly 2000 of which are iguanians. However, molecular information has placed Iguania well within the Squamata as sister taxa to the Anguimorpha and closely related to snakes. The order has been under debate and revisions after being classified by Charles Lewis Camp in 1923 due to difficulties finding adequate synapomorphic morphological characteristics. Most Iguanias are arboreal but there are several terrestrial groups. They usually have primitive fleshy, non-prehensile tongues, although the tongue is highly modified in chameleons. The group has a fossil record that extends back to the Early Jurassic (the oldest known member is '' B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lizards
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia although some lizards are more closely related to these two excluded groups than they are to other lizards. Lizards range in size from chameleons and geckos a few centimeters long to the 3-meter-long Komodo dragon. Most lizards are quadrupedal, running with a strong side-to-side motion. Some lineages (known as "legless lizards"), have secondarily lost their legs, and have long snake-like bodies. Some such as the forest-dwelling ''Draco'' lizards are able to glide. They are often territorial, the males fighting off other males and signalling, often with bright colours, to attract mates and to intimidate rivals. Lizards are mainly carnivorous, often being sit-and-wait predators; many smaller species eat insects, while the Komodo eats mammals as bi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Laemanctus
''Laemanctus'' is a genus of lizards in the family Corytophanidae. Species in the genus ''Laemanctus'' are commonly referred to as conehead lizards or casquehead iguanas. The genus is endemic to Central America. Description Lizards of the genus ''Laemanctus'' exhibit the following characters. The tympanum is distinct. The plane of the top of the head slopes forward, and the occipital region is raised and extends beyond the occiput. The body is laterally compressed, and is covered with imbricate keeled scales. A strong transverse gular fold is present, but a gular pouch is absent. The limbs are very long, and the infradigital lamellae have a median tubercle-like keel. Femoral pores are absent. The tail is very long, and is round in cross section. The lateral teeth are tricuspid, and pterygoid teeth are present. The clavicle is loop-shaped proximally. A sternal fontanelle is absent. Abdominal ribs are absent. Species and subspecies The genus ''Laemanctus'' consists of four speci ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Striped Basilisk
The brown basilisk (''Basiliscus vittatus''), also commonly referred to as the striped basilisk or in some areas as the common basilisk, is a species of basilisk lizard in the family Corytophanidae. The species is native to Mexico, Central America and adjacent northwestern Colombia, Savage JM (2005). ''The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica: A Herpetofauna between Two Continents, between Two Seas.'' Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press. xx + 945 pp. . and has been introduced into the U.S. state of Florida as a feral species. The brown basilisk has large hind feet with narrow flaps of skin on the distal edge of each toe. The fact that they move quickly across the water gives them the appearance of " walking on water". Description The male brown basilisk can reach in total length (including tail), but the female is somewhat smaller. It has a three-part dorsal crest on the head, along the back, and along the tail. Coloration is brown or olive brown with black crossban ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basiliscus Galeritus
The western basilisk, or red-headed basilisk (''Basiliscus galeritus''), is a large species of lizard in the family Corytophanidae. The species is endemic to northwestern South America. Etymology The specific name, ''galeritus'', which is Latin, means "wearing a hood", referring to the head crest. Habitat and geographic range ''B. galeritus'' inhabits forests at altitudes of in western Colombia and western Ecuador in South America.Bustamante-Enríquez LM, Arteaga AF (2012).Western Basilisk (''Basiliscus galeritus'') The Amphibians and Reptiles of Mindo. Version 2012.a Earlier reports of its occurrence in Central America are mistaken and actually refer to young of the closely related common basilisk. Köhler G (2000). ''Reptilien und Amphibien Mittelamerikas, Band 1: Krokodile, Schildkröten, Echsen'' entral American Reptiles and Amphibians, Volume 1: Crocodiles, Turtles, Lizards Offenbach, Germany: Herpeton. 158 pp. . p. 72. (in German). Conservation status The western basili ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basiliscus (lizard)
''Basiliscus'' is a genus of large corytophanid lizards, commonly known as basilisks, which are endemic to southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. The genus contains four species, which are commonly known as the Jesus Christ lizard, or simply the Jesus lizard, due to their ability to run across water for significant distances before sinking due to the large surface area of their feet. Taxonomy and etymology Both the generic name, ''Basiliscus'', and the common name, "basilisk", derive from the Greek ''basilískos'' (βασιλίσκος) meaning "little king". The specific epithet, ''vittatus'', which is Latin for "striped", was given in Carl Linnaeus' 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Physiology Basilisks on average measure in total length (including tail). Their growth is perpetual, fast when they are young and nonlinear for mature basilisks. Their long crest-like sails, reinforced in three distinct points (head, back, and tail), confer the impres ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Corytophanes
''Corytophanes'' is a genus of Neotropical lizards, commonly referred to as helmeted iguanas or helmeted basilisks, in the family Corytophanidae. The genus contains three species, all of which are arboreal, and reside in tropical forests. Species These species are recognized as being valid: ''Nota bene'': A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than ''Corytophanes''. Etymology The specific name, ''hernandesii'', is in honor of Spanish naturalist Francisco Hernández (1514-1587). Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Corytophanes hernandesii'', p. 122). References Further reading * Schlegel H (1826). "''Herpetologische Nachrichten'' ". ''Isis von Oken'' 20 (3): 281-294. (''Corytophanes'', new genus, p. 290). (in German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basiliscus Basiliscus
The common basilisk (''Basiliscus basiliscus'') is a species of lizard in the family Corytophanidae. The species is endemic to Central America and South America, where it is found near rivers and streams in rainforests. It is also known as the Jesus Christ lizard, Jesus lizard, South American Jesus lizard, or ''legarto de Jesus Cristo'' for its ability to run on the surface of water. Description The common basilisk can be distinguished from similar species within its range by its large size and the high fin-like crest along its back. Most common basilisks are brown and cream in color. Males also have high crests on the head and tail. Both sexes are brown to olive, and have a white, cream, or yellow stripe on the upper lip and a second stripe along either side of the body; these stripes have higher contrast in juveniles and fade as the lizards age. Hatchlings weigh a mere and are long. Adults can grow to a total length (including tail) of 76 cm (2.5 feet). Females are gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Predator
Predation is a biological interaction where one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill the host) and parasitoidism (which always does, eventually). It is distinct from scavenging on dead prey, though many predators also scavenge; it overlaps with herbivory, as seed predators and destructive frugivores are predators. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often concealed. When prey is detected, the predator assesses whether to attack it. This may involve ambush or pursuit predation, sometimes after stalking the prey. If the attack is successful, the predator kills the prey, removes any inedible parts like the shell or spines, and eats it. Predators are adapted and often highly specialized for hunting, with acute senses such as vision, hearing, or smell. Many predatory animals, both vertebrate and i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Ekuatur Nunka''), is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. Ecuador also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific, about west of the mainland. The country's capital and largest city is Quito. The territories of modern-day Ecuador were once home to a variety of Indigenous groups that were gradually incorporated into the Inca Empire during the 15th century. The territory was colonized by Spain during the 16th century, achieving independence in 1820 as part of Gran Colombia, from which it emerged as its own sovereign state in 1830. The legacy of both empires is reflected in Ecuador's ethnically diverse population, with most of its mill ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Striped Basilisk")
_with_its_prey.jpg "Click for more on -> Predator")