Common name: Tuatara (Northern)
Scientific name: Sphenodon punctatus
Conservation status: threatened
Habitat: woodland and grassland of New Zealand
Diet: Carnivore, eats insects, birds eggs, frogs and small reptiles and mammals
Lifespan: 50-100 years
Appearance: Grey, green, brown scales along a typical lizard body
Breeding: Tuatara mate every 4-5 years. After a year, the female lays a clutch of egg. Once eggs are laid, they take around a year to hatch.
Threats: In ancient times, predators were birds of prey. Nowadays, predators are introduced ones, such as dogs, cats and rodents
Other interesting facts:
- Males have no sexual organ
- Tuatara swim well
- Tuatara have a ‘third eye’ which can sense shadows and detect changes in light
- They are solitary, nocturnal animals
- Active at 7-22°C, only hibernating in colder winters
- Sleeps in a burrow, which is self-dug using their claws
- Their teeth are extensions of their jawbone. They don’t fall out and when they are worn down, they are not replaced.
- Has lived since Jurassic times, not changing m
I decided to do an animal profile on the tuatara because it is one of my favourite animals. Recently I was reminiscing with family and we remembered the time that I met a tuatara!
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