Predation on the Brown Basilisk (Basiliscus vittatus) in South Florida

Abstract Although native to Central and South American, Basiliscus vittatus (Brown Basilisk) is now firmly established in South Florida. Birds, lizards, and large crustaceans prey upon the Brown Basilisk throughout its native range, but snakes had been the only documented predators of this species in Florida. Here we document predation on Florida Brown Basilisks by the wading bird Ardea alba (Great Egret) and two different species of large, predatory fish—Micropterus salmoides (Largemouth Bass) and Centropomus undecimalis (Common Snook).