Harmless · Native to Mexico and Central America · Introduced in Florida

Brown basilisk

Basiliscus vittatus

Nicknamed for running across water
Data updated November 2026

Adult male brown basilisk on a branch, showing a tall head crest and a yellow stripe along the side
Fig. 1 — Adult male with the tall head crest and pale side stripe.
Brown basilisk running across the surface of a canal on its hind legs
Fig. 2 — Young basilisks can sprint across the water on their hind feet.

At a glance

A long-legged, long-tailed lizard of Central American lowlands that now lives along canals and ponds in south Florida. It is famous for running across water on its hind legs. Large males sport a tall crest on the head. Shy and quick, it poses no danger to people or pets.

01

Identification

Brown basilisks are brown or dark olive lizards with a long, thin tail and very long hind legs and toes. Almost all have a yellow or cream stripe running along each side from behind the eye, and many have a second pale stripe on the face reaching the shoulder. Adult males grow a large crest on the back of the head and sometimes a low fin-like crest along the back and tail. Females and young have a small head crest or none, and show dark bars across the back and sides.

  1. 01Head crest. Large on adult males, small or missing on females and young.
  2. 02Pale side stripe. A yellow or cream line from the eye down each side of the body.
  3. 03Long hind legs and toes. Especially long in young animals, and key to running on water.

In Florida no other lizard combines a crest on the back of the head, a pale side stripe and such long hind legs and toes. Young green iguanas live in the same canal habitats but are bright green, with a row of spines down the back and no side stripe.

02

Size

03 in6 in9 in1 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft Typical adult · about 18 in (46 cm)

Most of a brown basilisk’s length is tail. Including the tail, adults are about 11 to 27 inches (28–69 cm) long, with most well under 2 feet. The body alone measures about 4½ to 6½ inches (11–17 cm). Males grow larger than females.

03

Range & habitat

Canal bank in south Florida lined with dense vegetation overhanging the water
Fig. 3 — Thickly vegetated canal banks and pond edges are favored habitat in Florida.

The brown basilisk is native to coastal lowlands from central Mexico south through Central America to Panama and northern Colombia, where it lives in both disturbed and undisturbed habitats.

It reached Florida through the pet trade and was first seen in the wild in 1963. Today it is common on the east coast from southern Brevard County through the Florida Keys, with the largest numbers in Miami-Dade, Broward and south Palm Beach counties. On the west coast it is known from Pinellas County south to Naples, and it is established along the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee. In Florida it is most common near water in human-altered places: canals, lakeshores, retention ponds and ditches with thick cover such as Brazilian pepper, Australian pine, mangroves and willow. It also basks and forages on nearby sidewalks, roads and parking lots.

04

Diet & predators

Brown basilisks eat mostly insects, such as grasshoppers, caterpillars and flies, along with spiders and crabs. Larger ones also catch small vertebrates, including brown anoles and small snakes, and they sometimes eat fig fruits. In Florida, several native snakes eat small basilisks, and wading birds such as herons likely take them too.

Feeds on

  • Grasshoppers, caterpillars and flies
  • Spiders and crabs
  • Brown anoles and small snakes
  • Fig fruits

Preyed on by

  • Native snakes (small basilisks)
  • Herons and other wading birds
Grasshopper on a blade of grass
Prey — grasshoppers and other insects.
Heron standing at the edge of a canal
Predator — heron.

05

Behavior & seasons

Brown basilisks are wary and dash into vegetation when approached. Near water they either dive and swim, which adults usually do, or run across the surface on their hind legs, which young basilisks do more often. By slapping and pushing the water with their long-toed hind feet, they can cover around 15 feet of calm water before dropping in to swim. On land they are also fast runners, good jumpers and agile climbers.

They are active by day and, in Florida, throughout the year, especially on warm, sunny days. At night they sleep on limbs and branches above the ground.

06

Reproduction

Females lay about 3 to 12 eggs at a time in a moist hole in the ground, mainly from May through August, and give no care afterward. The eggs hatch in about two months. Basilisks grow quickly and generally mature in less than a year; young hatched in the wet season can mature in as little as three months.

07

Conservation

The brown basilisk is assessed as Least Concern. In Florida it is an established non-native species but is not currently classed as invasive. It does not appear to harm native wildlife, though it has not been studied enough to rule that out. It poses no direct threat to people or pets; a large one can give a painful bite if handled.

Brown basilisks are sometimes sold as pets, and many in the trade are caught wild in Florida. They are nervous and dislike handling. Releasing non-native animals is against Florida law, and the state’s Exotic Pet Amnesty Program helps owners rehome unwanted animals.

Keep reading

Sources

Data updated November 2026 · How we build these pages