TUATARA'S LINEAGE

Hokitika Guardian, 11 October 1930, Page 8

TUATARA'S LINEAGE

THOUSANDS OF YEARS. 'V' ; I . The only living relic of a prehistoric age, the tuatara, was the subject of an address in the Auckland War Memorial Museum last week, by Mr R. A. Falla, of the museum staff. He said the tuatara was regarded by some is a dull and uninteresting lizard, whose chief claim to notice was its lifeless ■immobility. On the contrary, it was a sagacious creature. The tu,atara, explained Mr Falla, had descended from the secondary period in the earth’s existence, when the clieif form of life was reptilian. It therefore possessed a proud and ancient lineage, which went back for thousands of years. Its present form was practically the same as that of its ancestors. The tuatara’s skull was very birdlikc, but this was under standable when it was ' realised that birds were direct descendants of the reptiles. The 'tuatara bad now disappeared from the New Zealand mainland, but still existed in large numbers on islands close to tjie coast. The creatures did not live alone but in company with a species of petrel, better known as the mutton-bird. Both creatures lived in burrows in the sand, but the tuatara, being naturally economical, preferred to share lodgings with a family of mutton-birds in order to save the trouble of excavating its own burrow. The communal life lasted only from October to' March. During the remainder of the year the tuatara re tired into hibernation.

Breat'iing was a leisurely process for the tuatara and - in his most active period between October and March, when lie might be said to be living at his fastest rate, he breathed only once in 30 minutes. The breeding season usually commenced in November, when the female laid about 10 eggs, which were something like an old ping-pong ball, and very tough and leathery in texture. These were buried in a sunny part of the beach and left for tL3 months to incubate.

Mr Falla introduced to the audience a captive tuatara, answering to the name of “Mussolini”. He said it had not been fed since April, and had just awakened from its winter sleep. It displayed considerable activity.