Tuatara are one of the longest living, slowest growing reptiles on earth. They are endangered and the Southland Museum in Invercargill is breeding them. In the wild, the female lays eggs once every four years and it takes between 12-14 months for the little ones to hatch. Here, the females lay eggs every 2 years and artificial incubation has cut the hatching period down to 5-6 months.
Tuatara are the last representatives of a lineage that goes back 225 million years. They are not lizards, but a much older species. Their remains have been found in fossil beds dating back 150 million years. They went extinct all over the world about 60 million years ago (with the dinosaurs), but survived here in New Zealand.
In the winter, they can go 3-4 months without eating. In cooler climates their heartbeat slows to ten times a minute and they breathe once an hour. When they hibernate their heart rate shows down even more - to once every 2-3 minutes!
This is Henry, the first Tuatara captured and brought to the museum in 1970. He was born on Stephen's Island in the Cook Straight (between the north and south islands). They captured him and a female, hoping to breed the pair. However, Henry was very aggressive towards all other Tuatara, biting the tail off the female. He traveled to schools and retirement homes as an educational tool, but refused to mate. So, they captured another male to see if he would mate. They of course kept the two males in separate cages, but one night, Henry became enraged and pushed the dirt in his enclosure to make a bridge, climbed into the other enclosure, and fought with the other male Tuatara all weekend. Thankfully they both survived, but with scars.
Finally, in 2002, a cancerous tumor was discovered on Henry's rectum. It was surgically removed. The caretakers noticed a change in his disposition, noting he was no longer aggressive towards the other reptiles. In 2008 they took the chance and reintroduced an 80 year old female into his cage - Mildred (the same one who's tail he had bitten off 30 years before). And a miracle happened! Henry became a father for the first time at the tender age of 111!
Mildred, the young thing who stole his heart. She is now breeding with other male Tuatara - some less than half her age!
Tuatara sculpture - ancient Tuatara relatives were this size.
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