Corytophanes hernandesii
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Corytophanes hernandesii, also known commonly as Hernandez's helmeted basilisk and el turipache de montaña in Spanish, is a species of lizard in the family Corytophanidae. The species is native to Central America and southern Mexico.
The specific name, hernandesii, is in honor of Spanish naturalist Francisco Hernández (1514–1587). C. hernandesii is found in Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, and in the southern Mexican states of Campeche, Chiapas, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Veracruz, and Yucatán.
The preferred natural habitat of C. hernandesii is forest, at altitudes from sea level to 1,300 m (4,300 ft). C. hernandesii is diurnal and mostly arboreal. C. hernandesii is oviparous. Gray JE (1831). "A Synopsis of the Species of the Class Reptilia". pp. 1–110. In: Griffith E (1831). The Animal Kingdom Arranged in Conformity with its Organization, by the Baron Cuvier, Member of the Institute of France &c. &c. &c. with Additional Descriptions of All the Species hitherto Named, and of Many not before Noticed, Volume the Ninth. London: Whittaker, Treacher... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇧🇿 Belize | |
| 2 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chapultepec Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Zoológico Miguél Álvarez del Toro | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Hernandez’s Helmeted Basilisk sighting in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 39th most-seen of the 46 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Hernandez’s Helmeted Basilisk in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Hernandez’s Helmeted Basilisk sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Hernandez’s Helmeted Basilisk sightings, Calakmul Biosphere Reserve ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary (Belize, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Hernandez’s Helmeted Basilisk is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (5 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
