How big do tuataras grow?

How big do tuataras grow?

Tuatara are New Zealand’s largest reptile. Adult males measure up to about: 0.5 metres in length, and. weigh up to 1.5 kg when fully grown.

How did tuatara evolve?

Phylogenetic analyses indicate that the tuatara lineage diverged from that of snakes and lizards around 250 million years ago. This lineage also shows moderate rates of molecular evolution, with instances of punctuated evolution.

Do tuatara lay eggs?

A long incubation: Males can reproduce every year, but females generally breed every two to five years. In March, male tuataras begin sitting outside females’ burrows, waiting for a chance to mate. The female can store sperm for 10 to 12 months before laying 1 to 19 white, soft-shelled eggs in nesting burrows.

Why do tuataras have a third eye?

They have a third eye. The parietal eye is only visible in hatchlings, as it becomes covered in scales and pigments after four to six months. Its function is a subject of ongoing research, but it is believed to be useful in absorbing ultraviolet rays and in setting circadian and seasonal cycles.

How do tuatara catch their food?

They live on a diet of beetles, spiders, millipedes, weta and worms. They have special teeth, a single row on the bottom jaw and two rows on the top jaw which enables them to eat hard insects. Young Tuatara mostly hunt during the day to avoid being eaten.

What’s the average life span of a tuatara?

Tuatara Life Span Tuataras probably have the slowest growth rates of any reptile, continuing to grow larger for the first 35 years of their lives. The average life span is about 60 years, however, they can live to be over 100 years old.

How old do tuatara reptiles live in burrows?

They do not survive well over 25 degrees centigrade but can live below 5 degrees, by sheltering in burrows. Tuatara have one of the slowest growth rates of any reptile, and they keep growing until they are about 35 years old.

Where can you find a tuatara in New Zealand?

Tuatara are a rare reptile found only in New Zealand. They are the last survivors of an order of reptiles that thrived in the age of the dinosaurs. Found in: Tuatara once lived throughout mainland New Zealand but now only survive in the wild on 32 islands.

What makes a tuatara a ” living fossil “?

This is why some scientists refer to tuataras as “living fossils.” Both male and female tuataras have a crest of spiky scales, called spines, down the center of their back and tail. Males are larger than the females. The name “tuatara” is a Maori word meaning “peaks on back” or “spiny back.”