McMartinVille--Reptiles

 
NO NEED FOR A CAR, CLICKED YER MOUSE... AND HERE YOU ARE! "McMartinVille"
 

Tuatara

Order:  Rhynchocephalia (tuataras)
Family: Sphenodontidae (tuataras)
Genus:  Sphenodon (tuataras)

Scientific Name:  Sphenodon punctatus (Gray, 1842)

Habitat:  Spend much of their time in burrows on their island home.

Sphenos="wedge," dont="tooth," punctatus="spotted"

Length: To roughly 12 inches total. Former Scientific Names:  Hatteria punctata
Food:  Insects, arthropods, lizards, and occasionally baby seabirds.

Range:  A few islands off the coast of New Zealand.

Here are some pictures of Specimen 4FL (fourth toe on the left front foot clipped to aid individual identification). This individual is approximately 30 years old, and was seized as part of an illegal export bust.

Tuataras look like lizards, but they're not. They are the only surviving members of the order Rhynchocephalia, which had many more species alive when dinosaurs were around. Tuataras are only found on a handful of the smaller islands around New Zealand. They share burrows with nesting seabirds and are said to sometimes eat baby seabirds. Their primary diet consists of various insects including the cricket-like weta. One interesting feature of these animals is their tooth structure: the upper jaw has two rows of teeth, and the lower jaw has one. These rows of teeth fit together like scissors and when used in conjunction with back-and-forth movement of the lower jaw provide a shearing action to kill and eat prey items. Tuatara
These animals are fairly tolerant of cooler temperatures and remain active when other reptiles would be hibernating. The day I saw this one (October 99), the outside temperature was in the low 60s Fahrenheit and the tuataras were out of their burrows. However, tuataras in the wild are primarily nocturnal.
The word tuatara comes from the native Maori language; it means "spiny back." About 50,000 individuals exist in the wild today. The species was much more widespread before the arrival of man to New Zealand. After the introduction of predators like dogs, cats, pigs, and rats, the population declined. Coupled with a slow growth rate (up to 20 years to mature) and a 2% hatch rate for each season's eggs, this puts the survival of the species in jeopardy. Captive breeding programs are underway to ensure future generations will be able to enjoy these unique animals. Tuatara