Its fossil relatives included small carnivores with scissor-like jaws, large chunky herbivores, and even aquatic forms with crushing tooth plates. We now know that the tuatara is the only living member of Rhynchocephalia, a reptile group that was diverse and widespread between 240 million and 60 million years ago. Subsequent genetic and fossil discoveries have confirmed that the tuatara has a separate heritage. The initial claim that the tuatara is not a lizard was based on anatomical differences such as the presence of a second row of upper teeth, which is not seen in any lizard. A tuatara feeding at Chester Zoo, UK, filmed by Neil Curtis, University of Hull. Captive breeding programs are also showing signs of success. Mainland reintroductions to cooler latitudes will hopefully reduce this problem. This is because the sex of a tuatara is determined by the temperature that their eggs experience – rising temperatures will skew populations towards males. Tuatara are now threatened by climate change. Recent fossils from the past few thousand years show that tuatara were widespread across the mainland until humans arrived (with Pacific rats) about 750 years ago. During that time, they have had to cope with big changes in the region’s shape and size (New Zealand may have been mostly submerged 23 million years ago) and, until recently, a cooling climate. Ancient isolationĪncestors of the tuatara have probably been on land associated with New Zealand since it separated from the rest of the Gondwana supercontinent about 80 million years ago.
The tuatara is often referred to as having a third eye because of a light-sensitive organ on the top of its head, similar to the ones found in many lizards. New Zealand lizards have similar traits, suggesting that these characteristics are relatively recent adaptations to local conditions. Interestingly, they are most active at cool temperatures (5-18℃) that would put many other reptiles out of action.
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They grow slowly, they reproduce slowly and they live for a long time. They also occasionally eat lizards, frogs, baby tuatara and birds – the headless bodies of birds are not infrequently reported from their island homes.Īlthough capable of bursts of speed, tuatara have a reputation for slowness. In the evening they are more active, and use their large eyes to spot a variety of prey such as beetles, spiders and snails.