Mondo Knows Facts

The common basilisk lizard can sprint across water surfaces

Fringed toes and rapid strides allow the lizard to run on water.

Nicknamed the Jesus Christ lizard, the basilisk escapes predators by sprinting on its hind legs across rivers and ponds. Unfolding skin fringes on its long toes slap the water surface rapidly to trap air pockets, producing enough upward force to keep its body above water.

Common basilisk in Costa Rica 02
Bernard Gagnon · CC0 · licence · source

Where this comes from

Encyclopædia Britannica

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Tags: basilisk, reptiles, water

The common basilisk lizard can sprint across water surfaces: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?
Fringed toes and rapid strides allow the lizard to run on water. The figure is taken from Encyclopædia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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