Reptile becomes a father, at 111

[HURAKAN]

Reptile becomes a father, at 111

A rare New Zealand reptile has become a father, possibly for the first time, at the age of 111.

The keepers of Henry, a tuatara, had thought he was past his prime - especially after showing no interest in females during 40 years in captivity.

But he mated with 80-year-old Mildred last July and 11 of the eggs she produced have now hatched.

Henry's keepers have put his newfound vigour down to a recent operation to remove a tumour from his bottom.

'Love story'

Henry arrived at Southland Museum in the South Island city of Invercargill in 1970 and, his keepers say, soon became overweight and idle.

He was known for his foul temper and had a tendency to attack other tuatara - forcing the museum to keep him in solitary confinement for many years.

But since his operation, Museum tuatara curator Lindsay Hazley said he had had a "major personality transplant".

"I have done lots of eggs before but these are just special because they are Henry's," Mr Hazley told the Southland Times.

Tuatara, which are found only in New Zealand, are sometimes referred to as "living fossils".

They are the only surviving members of a family of species which walked the Earth with the dinosaurs more than 200 million years ago.

The museum now has about 70 of the rare creatures, and Mr Hazley is hopeful that Henry might provide more offspring in the future.

He lives with three female tuatara "in great harmony", said Mr Hazley, and described the hatching of the eggs as "the completion of a love story".
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/w ... 850975.stm

[HURAKAN]

A picture of Henry:

[Ed Mahmoud]

Oh, not a Larry King thread...

[HURAKAN]

Oh, not a Larry King thread...

"Living fossil!!!"

[coriolis]

Lizards with personality. Now I've heard everything. Did they call in a lizard whisperer?

[HURAKAN]

Lizards with personality. Now I've heard everything. Did they call in a lizard whisperer?

It's actually a reptile that is looks like a lizard. Unlike lizards, they live in cold climates and are nocturnal animals.



"Cladogram showing relationships of extant members of the Sauria. Numbered items are:
1. Tuatara
2. Lizards
3. Snakes
4. Crocodiles
5. Birds
"Lizards" are polyphyletic. Branch lengths do not indicate divergence times."

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatara

[angelwing]

Awww, he's cute! Wish I could have one

[Squarethecircle]

Holy crap - that is a long lifespan for such a small reptile (though apparently the average is "only" about 60 years). Well, 32 inches isn't exactly small, but the thing lives longer than most elephants!

[coriolis]

Lizards with personality. Now I've heard everything. Did they call in a lizard whisperer?

It's actually a reptile that is looks like a lizard. Unlike lizards, they live in cold climates and are nocturnal animals.



"Cladogram showing relationships of extant members of the Sauria. Numbered items are:
1. Tuatara
2. Lizards
3. Snakes
4. Crocodiles
5. Birds
"Lizards" are polyphyletic. Branch lengths do not indicate divergence times."

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatara

Hmm. I have some nephews who could be in group 3. (They're on my wife's side of the family of course)

[Ptarmigan]

He looks young for his age. 111 is very old and for him, he is young.

[HURAKAN]

I really don't know how they determine the age of the tuataras, but what I know is that they have a very slow metabolism, which normally allows animals to live longer.

Another interesting fact: Their "teeth"

"There is a single row of teeth in the lower jaw and a double row in the upper, with the bottom row fitting perfectly between the two upper rows when the mouth is closed. This specific tooth arrangement is not seen in any other reptile. The tuatara's teeth are not replaced, since they are not separate structures like real teeth, but sharp projections of the jaw bone."

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuatara