Another blog from Holly, one of our New Zealand travel specialists
While the thought of the return of an exotic reptile may engender panicked thoughts of Godzilla, fleeing citizens and destroyed cities, the species in question today is much less stroboscopic in its movement and more inclined to making a burrow for itself or just kick back and sunbathe. No, they are not chilled out college students either, but rather New Zealand's best and most elusive offer in connecting the modern world to our reptilian past - the dinosaurs. Commonly referred to as 'living fossils' these lizard like creatures are approximately 30 inches in length and though they bear resemblance to lizards, actually belong to a species category all of their own: the Tuatara.
Like much of New Zealand's animal kingdom, such as the Kiwi Bird, the Kea and the Weta, they are unique to the small Polynesian country and were actually extinct on the mainland North and South Islands until recently, when in 2005, a small population was released into the Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary. 5 years later and much to the delight of the sanctuary staff, a hatchling was sighted in the park, indicating that at least two of their reptilian wards were breeding. So what, I hear you ask? Well, consider that Tuataras are the slowest breeding reptile in the world, taking as long as 2 to 5 years to complete a reproductive cycle; a fact (combined with the introduction of colonial predators) that lodged them securely on the Endangered Species list way back in 1895. This recent discovery of youth on mainland New Zealand is only the second sighting of an infant Tuatara in over 200 years! A little more exciting now eh?
Of course Zealandia is not the only menagerie to hold Tuatara, although it is the landscape most akin to what the Tuatara would have known as home before they were made extinct. The reserve stretches across 225 hectares of wood and wetland area and houses hundreds of New Zealand's endemic flora and fauna living wild, in a mission to reverse the 700 year sequence of decline and extinction New Zealand has suffered, compounded by the introduction of western predators heralded with the arrival of the Pakeha (the white-man) 200 years ago. The Southland Museum and Art Gallery of Invercargill has developed a Tuatara breeding program itself and recently enjoyed success with the birth of a baby in 2009, while the Wellington Zoo and Hamilton Zoo also endeavour to continue the new flourish of Tuatara life with their own conservation and breeding efforts. With a bit of luck, the tide of baby Tuataras will soon swell and we may just see a near return to the Jurassic on New Zealand!
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