Living fossil
VulcanSpirit
Richard & Alison Brunstrom
Sat 20 Apr 2013 11:23
|
This is a tuatara Sphenodon punctatus
which I photographed in Zealandia, a quite magnificent wild park in the centre
of Wellington a few minutes' walk from Parliament.
 Despite appearances this is not a lizard. Reptiles
are divided into five Classes: turtles, crocodiles, snakes, lizards - and the
tuatara, Class Sphenodontia. It is as different from a lizard as a crocodile is
from a turtle. Its presence here in NZ is something of a mystery; sphendont
fossils are found all over the world including the UK - but not in SE Asia and
Australia. There are two species and the population is quite healthy - formerly
widespread but nowadays sadly restricted to predator-free offshore islands - and
Zealandia which is an 'onshore island' enclosed in a huge predator
fence.
|