The Tuatara (Maori for ‘peaks or spines on the back) is of special significance within New Zealand and internationally.  This cold blooded reptile is totally different to all lizards, amphibians and other reptiles.  

Once common throughout the lowland areas of New Zealand the estimated 100,000 remaining Tuatara are now restricted to a few off shore islands where there are no introduced predators such as rats, cats, stoats and pigs.

Some of the ancient Tuatara’s unique features include:

• being the sole living member of a major group of reptiles, remaining virtually unchanged since dinosaur times 225 million years ago.
• Long lived, 60 – 100 years or more.
• Odd anatomical features including a pineal or third eye on the top of young Tuataras      which becomes covered over as adults.
• Their teeth are solid projections of the jawbone and the bottom jaw fits perfectly between the two rows of “teeth” on the top jaw.
• Unusual breeding characteristics e.g. the determination of gender by the incubation temperature of the eggs. ( Warmer  produces males, cooler  produces females).
• Performs best at temperatures around 12 C – 17 C which is the lowest requirement for warmth in all the reptiles. ( Average temperatures for reptiles  are 25 C – 38 C).

They live in underground burrows, rock crevices or even clumps of dense ferns and are found in forest areas which provide good sources of beetles, weta, spiders, earthworms, millipedes and other insects that comprise most of their diet.  Also they associate with burrowing seabirds sharing their burrows and even eating the bird eggs and chicks.

Tuatara are slow breeders and although they mate between January and March, the 6 – 12 soft shelled eggs are not laid for another 8 – 9  months during October to December.  The eggs are buried in the ground and take 11 – 16 months to hatch.  Young Tuatara are vulnerable as even their parents will eat them so only a few mature, a process that takes 9 – 14 years.  To help their survival chances the juveniles are active during the day, hiding at night when the adults emerge to feed.  They grow for a further 15 or so years reaching full size at between 25 35 years.

On 25 October 2003, 40 female and 20 male Tuatara were relocated on Tiritiri Matangi Island so that more people can see them in the wild.

Click here to view NZ Herald newspaper articles regarding the release (pdf format).

Photography by Andrew Bullas ©