Pliny the Elder, Natural History 8.21: Basilisk of Cyrenaica

Record summary

Pliny locates the basilisk, or regulus, in Cyrenaica and describes it as a small serpent with extraordinary powers, including deadly effects attributed to its gaze and presence. This is a specific ancient North African textual lead with a long transmission history through medieval bestiaries. It is important for separating reported geography from later demonological embellishment. Natural explanations involving cobras, horned vipers or misunderstood defensive behavior have been proposed, but the classical account is generally treated as fabulous. AI-recalled; source quality 5; corroboration 0.