Rare three-eyed lizard found in New Zealand
March 20th, 2009 - 12:36 pm ICT by ANILondon, March 20 (ANI): A rare three-eyed lizard, which has lineage dating back to the dinosaur age, has been found in Wellington, New Zealand.
According to a report by Sky News, the reptile known as a baby Tuatara, has three eyes, but is said to mostly resemble a lizard.
It was found by staff at the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, but until then had not been spotted in the country for around 200 years.
Tuatara measure up to 80cm when fully grown and can live for up to 60 years.
They are the last lizard-like species to have walked the earth with dinosaurs 225 million years ago, according to zoologists.
They are said to live off insects and lizards, but also shockingly eat their own young.
They are a mainly nocturnal speices, and are able to regrow their tales if they become shredded.
They are sometimes referred to as living fossils, as their appearance has not changed since the dinosaur age.
There are an estimated 50,000 of them living in the wild, but this is the first time one has been found on the mainland for 200 years.
Evolutionists are particularly interested in the species as they are related to snake and lizard families.
According to Conservation Manager, Raewyn Empson, We are all absolutely thrilled with this discovery. (ANI)
- First 'living fossil' born on New Zealand mainland in 200 years - Mar 20, 2009
- Some dinosaurs 'did most of their hunting at night' - Apr 15, 2011
- 'Jurassic Park' had it right - some dinos hunted by night - Apr 15, 2011
- The lizard called Henry who becomes a father at the age of 111 - Jan 27, 2009
- Global warming hastened arrival of dinosaurs - Nov 30, 2010
- Scientists Discover New Lizard Species At Buffet - Nov 12, 2010
- Newly discovered species of dinosaur bridges gap in dinosaur family tree - Apr 13, 2011
- Egg-laying lizards on verge giving live births - Sep 05, 2010
- Mammals, birds, fishes have won evolutionary race - Aug 24, 2009
- Ice-age reptile extinctions shed light on responses to climate change - Dec 10, 2010
- Prehistoric goat lived like a reptile on Spanish island - Nov 18, 2009
- New fossil material reveals Azendohsaurus as an early reptile, not a dinosaur - May 19, 2010
- 24 newly discovered lizard species face extinction - Apr 30, 2012
- Fossilized primitive pregnant lizard found in China - Jul 21, 2011
- Scientists Discover New Self-cloning Lizard Species at Vietnamese Buffet - Nov 12, 2010
Tags: conservation manager, dinosaur age, dinosaurs, evolutionists, eyed lizard, karori wildlife sanctuary, lineage, living fossils, lizard, lizards, london march, mainland, million years, raewyn, reptile, sky news, speices, time one, tuatara, wellington new zealand