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Description
The life of a natural historian is an interesting one, but a difficult one at the same time. I am not one to say that this field is the hardest one out of them all, but I would claim it is high up there. It is true that it does not face the sheer physical exhaustion as a miner or lumber worker, or the dire threats that knights take on in battle. In the end, though, these jobs/positions are pretty much the same thing day by day. Break the rocks, collect the ore, haul the load, or in the other case, don't get stabbed. For a natural historian, though, your field completely changes every time you study a different creature. Some have gone around this by focusing their entire career on a single species, but many others prefer to look at the amazing biodiversity our lands have. So at one point you may be observing Great Mottled Caecilians in the hot, humid jungles, then suddenly climbing cold, rocky peaks to get a good vantage point on a group of trolls. Each one has its own environmental hazards and travel troubles, not even mentioning what danger the beast may present in itself. Some are thankfully docile, so worry of life and limb is quite small. Others, however, can be quite dangerous to study, and it is no surprise that natural historians often leave this world by the hands of the very thing they were researching. I thankfully have yet to be horribly mangled by my subject matter yet, and hope that the sun may continue to shine on me in such a favorable fashion. That is not saying I haven't been wounded in the line of duty, cause that would be an obvious lie. Regardless, despite the threats my line of work encounters, each species offers an exciting challenge to overcome in order to get the privilege to research them. Out of all of them, though, I would say one of the hardest species I ever had to study would be the Grand Basilisk. I have to say it is quite difficult to observe their behavior when the act of looking at the creature could be lethal.

Grand Basilisks are a single species in the small family of Basilisks, gaining its name from its impressive, crimson crest and horned "crown." Grand Basilisks stick to dry land, preferably forests, savannas and grasslands. Despite living in wooded areas, they do not climb trees. Rather they prefer to hide away in caves and burrowed nests when they wish to sleep or escape the elements. They also enjoy the presence of small water bodies. Though they are a species that enjoys heat, a Grand Basilisk will be known to submerge itself in water during the hottest days of summer. It was once believed that a Grand Basilisk lacks the ability to shunt off excess heat, so they must cool themselves with water. It turns out that this behavior can be one of two things. One involves the process of shedding its skin. It appears that water aids in the process and helps get the dead layer of scales off quickly and efficiently. It probably makes a good meal for the fishes too! The other is actually a method of hunting. People thought that the super hot days of summer drove the Grand Basilisk to water, but it is actually more towards the other animals that live in the area. There are other species in these habitats that have a harder time with heat, so they seek out water. Be it for cooling or drinking, certain beasts will head towards water for relief from the sun. This is why the Grand Basilisk submerges itself in the ponds and lakes. It will hide itself in shallower parts of the pond, keeping its body down on the bottom. Its long head and neck allows it to reach its nose to the surface for air, without disturbing the water around it. When large game wanders close for a drink or bath, the Grand Basilisk will strike from below and sink its venomous fangs in. If the prey is smaller in size, the Basilisk will hang on until venom or exhaustion downs the victim. If the prey is larger, it will immediately let go and let the beast flee. Within minutes the potent venom will drop the animal, and the basilisk will leisurely follow it and dine. The hunting method of the Grand Basilisk is pretty much the same on land. They remain motionless in certain hiding spots and wait for prey to wander by. All meals are swallowed whole, and the Grand Basilisk will crawl off to a sunny spot for a nap.

Grand Basilisks are quite territorial, and claim a rather impressive chunk of land for themselves. The size of their territory is measured in miles, and in some cases, a single basilisk can stake out an entire forest for its hunting ground. Grand Basilisks live a solitary lifestyle, only joining up with other basilisks when mating season occurs or when fighting for territory. Fighting amongst each other is the most common form of socialization. Due to their large territories, overlaps often happen or a wandering basilisk is looking for a place to call home. Regardless of the reason, the two will begin to duel. First will come a show of fashion, as the two will flare their crests at one another and circle around each other with heads held high. Perhaps this is to show age and health, as older basilisks have much larger and vibrant crests than the young. Perhaps the younger opponents can see if an enemy is too experienced and healthy to risk a fight with, or if they are now old and sickly. If none flee from this showing, they will then fight. The two will strike at one another, their heads snapping back and forth as they duel. Apparently their venom does not affect other basilisks, as they survive these bites and scratches. The whole fight involves hitting the other combatant, while staying out of range of the other's strikes. Whoever gets the most bloody and bit from the match will eventually retreat, and the winner will reap the spoils.

The interaction that comes from mating does not come nearly as often, as they only reproduce once every decade. When this special time occurs, things change in the basilisk's routine. In an interesting twist, the females are the ones who hunt for viable males. Leaving their territory, they will follow scent trails and markings to find males who are in the right condition for mating. Through the entire time they are tracking down males, the female will be developing unfertilized eggs within her body. When a male is tracked down, the mating ritual begins. On second thought, "ritual" may not be the right word. That kind of implies that the two play equal roles in this process, which the male does not. In fact, female Grand Basilisks seem to have a dominate behavior around males, and have been seen roughing them up and pushing them around. This reproductive process does not involve any elegant dance or showing off, which one would expect for a creature with the word "grand" in their title. Rather the females just want the males to fertilize and nurture the eggs, nothing more. While most accept this role and play it, others actually resist it. For whatever reason, some male Grand Basilisks may try to fight the female or even run! If this occurs, the female will actually rough up the male with strikes from her tail or slamming into them with her head. Female Grand Basilisks are larger than their male counterparts, so a healthy female will always beat a male any day. Eventually the male will surrender and the process will begin. Well, "process" might not even be the right word either! What happens is that the female will deposit one or two gooey eggs at the male's nesting place, and have the male fertilize them externally. After that, the female just ups and leaves! It is then up to the male to protect the eggs and young that will eventually emerge. After fertilization, the eggs will slowly grow a tougher skin around them for protection. In time, the young will hatch and the male will keep them around the nest. The young will essentially take care of themselves, but they stay close to the nest so that the presence of dad always wards off predators. Eventually they will reach the age in which the father will drive them away and they will have to find a hunting ground for themselves. The females, however, just simply head out to find another male! Female Grand Basilisks pretty much use the entire season to hunt down as many males as they can and leave them with eggs to raise. If a female finds a male that already has eggs, she will often eat them and then leave her own instead. When mating season is over, the females will return to their home territory, which sometimes can be taken by other nomadic basilisks. Often these are young males who are looking for their own territory and end up taking a female's by mistake. This is not tolerated at all by the female, and she will brutally chase off the young bachelor. You know what they say about a woman scorned!

Now I know at this point, some may be wondering if I am ever going to bring up the thing that makes basilisks famous. I will, but I just wanted to cover other things first! Anyways, what many know about the basilisk family is their deadly gaze. Everyone knows how locking eyes with a basilisk is lethal, but that is not entirely true. For Grand Basilisks, yes, making eye contact with their eyes will kill you. No doubt about that. There are other basilisks, though, that do not have the lethal punch behind their gaze. They may cause pain, drowsiness, disorientation or blindness instead. We will talk about those in later sections, but I just wanted to point out that not all basilisks have the killing gaze. Interestingly enough, basilisks all seem immune to these sight effects, even when dealing with other basilisk species. Grand Basilisks indeed possess this killing power. It is all locked in their single eye that is embedded in their tongue. Most of the time, this eye is kept hidden in their jaws, as basilisks hardly rely on sight for travel and hunting. Their other senses are more than enough to function with, so the eye is rarely unfurled. When danger occurs, that is when the eye pops out. Hidden within the tip of its tongue, the eye is embedded in a bulb-like structure. Four tendril flaps cover it and protect it from debris and meals that come through the mouth. When needed, the jaw will open and the tongue will shoot out. The flaps will flare open and expose the eye, which can whip around on the flexible stalk. The eye seeks out the attacker and looks to lock its gaze with them. When the eyes make contact, the victim will fall into spasms and then die within seconds. Simple as that. Studies have been done on victims of these attacks to find out what causes such a lethal gaze. Autopsies have revealed that the brain is severely damaged by the process. Entire chunks have been found practically liquefied, and the amount of bleeding within the organ is enough to shut the entire thing down. So far the theory is that something goes from the basilisk's eye to the victim's, which than travels to the brain and causes the lethal injuries. Some kind of magic or signal causes this, but it is really difficult to find out what it is exactly. There are not many who wish to test out such a lethal weapon, or get anywhere near a Grand Basilisk. They are territorial creatures and will see anything that moves as food. If the deadly gaze wasn't bad enough, they have extremely potent venom and can move surprisingly fast. Grand Basilisks are seen as monsters and feared as such. Despite that, not many are willing to face it in battle. In fact, some villages have found that moving their entire town is easier than dealing with a Grand Basilisk. Honestly, I don't think fighting one would be that bad. Of course I never tried it, so I can't judge, but I have seen a lot of their behavior! Their lethal gaze is not used all that often, and there are ways to combat it. In fact, if I patented my special mirror hat, no one would have to worry about it again! I rigged up this hat during my time observing basilisks in the field. It involves a whole system of mirrors that allow you to see perfectly fine through a series of reflections. It would be great! Then again, it is a little bulky and fragile. I would also recommend being careful on sunny days with it. I nearly burned a hole through my face with it once. Probably could use some improvements...

Chlora Myron
Dryad Natural Historian

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a basilisk! One of a few! Originally there was only supposed to be one, but as I got thinking, why stop there?

And boy howdy I do worry about myself when I find myself writing entire paragraphs about a fake monster's reproduction. Where does this stuff come from? Probably should get that checked out.

Description
The life of a natural historian is an interesting one, but a difficult one at the same time. I am not one to say that this field is the hardest one out of them all, but I would claim it is high up there. It is true that it does not face the sheer physical exhaustion as a miner or lumber worker, or the dire threats that knights take on in battle. In the end, though, these jobs/positions are pretty much the same thing day by day. Break the rocks, collect the ore, haul the load, or in the other case, don't get stabbed. For a natural historian, though, your field completely changes every time you study a different creature. Some have gone around this by focusing their entire career on a single species, but many others prefer to look at the amazing biodiversity our lands have. So at one point you may be observing Great Mottled Caecilians in the hot, humid jungles, then suddenly climbing cold, rocky peaks to get a good vantage point on a group of trolls. Each one has its own environmental hazards and travel troubles, not even mentioning what danger the beast may present in itself. Some are thankfully docile, so worry of life and limb is quite small. Others, however, can be quite dangerous to study, and it is no surprise that natural historians often leave this world by the hands of the very thing they were researching. I thankfully have yet to be horribly mangled by my subject matter yet, and hope that the sun may continue to shine on me in such a favorable fashion. That is not saying I haven't been wounded in the line of duty, cause that would be an obvious lie. Regardless, despite the threats my line of work encounters, each species offers an exciting challenge to overcome in order to get the privilege to research them. Out of all of them, though, I would say one of the hardest species I ever had to study would be the Grand Basilisk. I have to say it is quite difficult to observe their behavior when the act of looking at the creature could be lethal.

Grand Basilisks are a single species in the small family of Basilisks, gaining its name from its impressive, crimson crest and horned "crown." Grand Basilisks stick to dry land, preferably forests, savannas and grasslands. Despite living in wooded areas, they do not climb trees. Rather they prefer to hide away in caves and burrowed nests when they wish to sleep or escape the elements. They also enjoy the presence of small water bodies. Though they are a species that enjoys heat, a Grand Basilisk will be known to submerge itself in water during the hottest days of summer. It was once believed that a Grand Basilisk lacks the ability to shunt off excess heat, so they must cool themselves with water. It turns out that this behavior can be one of two things. One involves the process of shedding its skin. It appears that water aids in the process and helps get the dead layer of scales off quickly and efficiently. It probably makes a good meal for the fishes too! The other is actually a method of hunting. People thought that the super hot days of summer drove the Grand Basilisk to water, but it is actually more towards the other animals that live in the area. There are other species in these habitats that have a harder time with heat, so they seek out water. Be it for cooling or drinking, certain beasts will head towards water for relief from the sun. This is why the Grand Basilisk submerges itself in the ponds and lakes. It will hide itself in shallower parts of the pond, keeping its body down on the bottom. Its long head and neck allows it to reach its nose to the surface for air, without disturbing the water around it. When large game wanders close for a drink or bath, the Grand Basilisk will strike from below and sink its venomous fangs in. If the prey is smaller in size, the Basilisk will hang on until venom or exhaustion downs the victim. If the prey is larger, it will immediately let go and let the beast flee. Within minutes the potent venom will drop the animal, and the basilisk will leisurely follow it and dine. The hunting method of the Grand Basilisk is pretty much the same on land. They remain motionless in certain hiding spots and wait for prey to wander by. All meals are swallowed whole, and the Grand Basilisk will crawl off to a sunny spot for a nap.

Grand Basilisks are quite territorial, and claim a rather impressive chunk of land for themselves. The size of their territory is measured in miles, and in some cases, a single basilisk can stake out an entire forest for its hunting ground. Grand Basilisks live a solitary lifestyle, only joining up with other basilisks when mating season occurs or when fighting for territory. Fighting amongst each other is the most common form of socialization. Due to their large territories, overlaps often happen or a wandering basilisk is looking for a place to call home. Regardless of the reason, the two will begin to duel. First will come a show of fashion, as the two will flare their crests at one another and circle around each other with heads held high. Perhaps this is to show age and health, as older basilisks have much larger and vibrant crests than the young. Perhaps the younger opponents can see if an enemy is too experienced and healthy to risk a fight with, or if they are now old and sickly. If none flee from this showing, they will then fight. The two will strike at one another, their heads snapping back and forth as they duel. Apparently their venom does not affect other basilisks, as they survive these bites and scratches. The whole fight involves hitting the other combatant, while staying out of range of the other's strikes. Whoever gets the most bloody and bit from the match will eventually retreat, and the winner will reap the spoils.

The interaction that comes from mating does not come nearly as often, as they only reproduce once every decade. When this special time occurs, things change in the basilisk's routine. In an interesting twist, the females are the ones who hunt for viable males. Leaving their territory, they will follow scent trails and markings to find males who are in the right condition for mating. Through the entire time they are tracking down males, the female will be developing unfertilized eggs within her body. When a male is tracked down, the mating ritual begins. On second thought, "ritual" may not be the right word. That kind of implies that the two play equal roles in this process, which the male does not. In fact, female Grand Basilisks seem to have a dominate behavior around males, and have been seen roughing them up and pushing them around. This reproductive process does not involve any elegant dance or showing off, which one would expect for a creature with the word "grand" in their title. Rather the females just want the males to fertilize and nurture the eggs, nothing more. While most accept this role and play it, others actually resist it. For whatever reason, some male Grand Basilisks may try to fight the female or even run! If this occurs, the female will actually rough up the male with strikes from her tail or slamming into them with her head. Female Grand Basilisks are larger than their male counterparts, so a healthy female will always beat a male any day. Eventually the male will surrender and the process will begin. Well, "process" might not even be the right word either! What happens is that the female will deposit one or two gooey eggs at the male's nesting place, and have the male fertilize them externally. After that, the female just ups and leaves! It is then up to the male to protect the eggs and young that will eventually emerge. After fertilization, the eggs will slowly grow a tougher skin around them for protection. In time, the young will hatch and the male will keep them around the nest. The young will essentially take care of themselves, but they stay close to the nest so that the presence of dad always wards off predators. Eventually they will reach the age in which the father will drive them away and they will have to find a hunting ground for themselves. The females, however, just simply head out to find another male! Female Grand Basilisks pretty much use the entire season to hunt down as many males as they can and leave them with eggs to raise. If a female finds a male that already has eggs, she will often eat them and then leave her own instead. When mating season is over, the females will return to their home territory, which sometimes can be taken by other nomadic basilisks. Often these are young males who are looking for their own territory and end up taking a female's by mistake. This is not tolerated at all by the female, and she will brutally chase off the young bachelor. You know what they say about a woman scorned!

Now I know at this point, some may be wondering if I am ever going to bring up the thing that makes basilisks famous. I will, but I just wanted to cover other things first! Anyways, what many know about the basilisk family is their deadly gaze. Everyone knows how locking eyes with a basilisk is lethal, but that is not entirely true. For Grand Basilisks, yes, making eye contact with their eyes will kill you. No doubt about that. There are other basilisks, though, that do not have the lethal punch behind their gaze. They may cause pain, drowsiness, disorientation or blindness instead. We will talk about those in later sections, but I just wanted to point out that not all basilisks have the killing gaze. Interestingly enough, basilisks all seem immune to these sight effects, even when dealing with other basilisk species. Grand Basilisks indeed possess this killing power. It is all locked in their single eye that is embedded in their tongue. Most of the time, this eye is kept hidden in their jaws, as basilisks hardly rely on sight for travel and hunting. Their other senses are more than enough to function with, so the eye is rarely unfurled. When danger occurs, that is when the eye pops out. Hidden within the tip of its tongue, the eye is embedded in a bulb-like structure. Four tendril flaps cover it and protect it from debris and meals that come through the mouth. When needed, the jaw will open and the tongue will shoot out. The flaps will flare open and expose the eye, which can whip around on the flexible stalk. The eye seeks out the attacker and looks to lock its gaze with them. When the eyes make contact, the victim will fall into spasms and then die within seconds. Simple as that. Studies have been done on victims of these attacks to find out what causes such a lethal gaze. Autopsies have revealed that the brain is severely damaged by the process. Entire chunks have been found practically liquefied, and the amount of bleeding within the organ is enough to shut the entire thing down. So far the theory is that something goes from the basilisk's eye to the victim's, which than travels to the brain and causes the lethal injuries. Some kind of magic or signal causes this, but it is really difficult to find out what it is exactly. There are not many who wish to test out such a lethal weapon, or get anywhere near a Grand Basilisk. They are territorial creatures and will see anything that moves as food. If the deadly gaze wasn't bad enough, they have extremely potent venom and can move surprisingly fast. Grand Basilisks are seen as monsters and feared as such. Despite that, not many are willing to face it in battle. In fact, some villages have found that moving their entire town is easier than dealing with a Grand Basilisk. Honestly, I don't think fighting one would be that bad. Of course I never tried it, so I can't judge, but I have seen a lot of their behavior! Their lethal gaze is not used all that often, and there are ways to combat it. In fact, if I patented my special mirror hat, no one would have to worry about it again! I rigged up this hat during my time observing basilisks in the field. It involves a whole system of mirrors that allow you to see perfectly fine through a series of reflections. It would be great! Then again, it is a little bulky and fragile. I would also recommend being careful on sunny days with it. I nearly burned a hole through my face with it once. Probably could use some improvements...

Chlora Myron
Dryad Natural Historian

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a basilisk! One of a few! Originally there was only supposed to be one, but as I got thinking, why stop there?

And boy howdy I do worry about myself when I find myself writing entire paragraphs about a fake monster's reproduction. Where does this stuff come from? Probably should get that checked out.