The basilisk (Procompsognathus basilisk) originated in Europe, and should really have stayed there. Unfortunately, idiots who fancied themselves "big game hunters" imported basilisks to the North American continent, where the basilisks promptly made themselves at home. Many of the idiots in question ended up as surprisingly realistic pieces of garden statuary, which was perhaps the only fitting end for them.
Basilisks are not terribly smart, and have been compared unfavorably to the common chicken. Unfortunately, they are chickens that can turn a human being into solid stone, which is not a desirable trait in poultry.
Basilisks are social creatures, and prefer to remain with one or more of their own kind. They prefer arboreal habitats, and find medium-dense forest with plentiful clearings to be ideal. They have sometimes been found engaged in stalking screaming yams, which have no eyes and can thus not be turned to stone. If proper eye protection is used, this can be a quite entertaining conflict to watch.
BIOLOGY
Basilisks are...special. They are biologically very close to avian, leading to their official classification as a very strange breed of dinosaur which has somehow managed to survive into the present day. They live three to five years in the wild, and eight to ten years in captivity. The average basilisk female will lay two eggs per month during her fertile years. Interestingly, less than a quarter of these eggs will hatch; the rest calcify from the inside, turning into perfect stone replicas.
The gaze of the basilisk is to be feared. It transforms its victims to stone from the outside in, often leading to death by suffocation. Death does stop the petrifaction eventually, although it may continue for an hour or more after the victim passes. Basilisks then peck through the crunchy outer shell to get at the meat within.
While they enjoy seeds and insects as much as common chickens, basilisks are also carnivores. It is best not to forget this.
DESCRIPTION
Basilisks resemble large chickens with serpent's tails.
We don't know what evolution was thinking either.
Artwork by Kory Bing.