TUATARA
The Tuatara are only found in New Zealand and are sometimes referred to as the World’s oldest living fossil.
They are the only survivors of their reptile species which lived before the dinosaur age, over 200million years ago.
They are the largest reptile in New Zealand but are not a lizard. They are cold blooded but unlike most reptiles, prefer cooler weather.
They stiffen these spines to look impressive to the females or to intimidate other males.
In Māori, the name Tuatara means ‘Peaks on the Back’ and this is especially evident on the male Tuatara who has a crest of spines running down their neck and along their back. They stiffen these spines to look impressive to the females or to intimidate other males.
Juveniles have a third eye on the top of their head which is believed to help soak up UV rays to help them grown. This eye is not usually visible because they grow scales over it between 4-6 months of age
Tuatara are slow growing until 35years old and can live over 100years. Males can grow up to half a metre in length and weigh 1.5kg.
What do Tuatara eat?
They live on a diet of beetles, spiders, millipedes, weta and worms.
They have special teeth, a single row on the bottom jaw and two rows on the top jaw which enables them to eat hard insects.
The will also eat lizards, seabird eggs and small chicks.
Adult Tuatara are mostly active at night and have been known to eat their own.
Young Tuatara mostly hunt during the day to avoid being eaten.
Did you know?
The first record of wild Tuatara successfully breeding on a Mainland sanctuary was in 2008.