Rare baby Tuatara spotted

A one-month-old Tuatara, a lizard-like reptile, considered to be extinct for 200 years, has been found in the Karori Wildlife sanctuary in New Zealand.

Tuatara photo

The staff at the 252-hectare (623-acre) Karori Wildlife sanctuary, is delighted to see the eight-centimetre (three-inch) long, one month old hatchling.

Picture of the baby Tuatara that was found (AP)

This is the same area where Tuatara nests were found a year ago. However, the conservationists confirmed that this was the same place where more than 200 of the lizards were reinforced from offshore islands.

The Karori Wildlife Sanctuary conservation manager Raewyn Empson, was quoted as saying, “It means we have successfully re-established a breeding population, which is a massive breakthrough for New Zealand conservation.”

She said that the Tuatara is unlikely to be the only baby to have hatched this season,  but spotting him was an incredible fluke.

Photo: Tuatara in the wild

Reports say that the Tuatara baby hatched from an egg laid about 16 months ago. The Sanctuary staff had found two egg nests in 2008, and they were expected to hatch around this time.

There is no guarantee that the baby Tuatara will grow up to be an adult though. While the 250-hectare sanctuary is predator-proof, the adult Tuatara is cannibalistic and may decide to make a meal of it. Also, a native own, the kingfisher, and the weka (endemic flightless rail) would also consider the baby Tuatara a tasty snack if they come across it.

The Tuatara reptile is said to descend from reptiles existing at time of dinosaurs millions of years ago.

Tuataras can hold their breath for up to an hour and grow upto 24 inches and 2.2 pounds.

Tuataras are known for their “third eye,” a patch of white scales at the top center of their skull, which they use to see. But experts also believe that the white patch acts as a light sensor, so that the Tuatara can decide how much time to spend in the sun.

They have a single row of teeth on their bottom jaw and a double row on the top.

They have a maximum life span of 100 years and do not become fertile until 13 years of age. Adult tuatara mothers lay and then abandon their eggs, which hatch about 12-15 months later.

The Tuatara has been often called living fossils because they survived while other animals of the same species went extinct 60 million years ago.

They’re native to New Zealand and the only living members of the order Sphenodontia.