LIFE OF THE TUATARA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4515, 9 October 1930, Page 4

LIFE OF THE TUATARA.

HO'ME SHARED WITH BIRD.

RELIC OF PREHISTORIC ABES.

The life of the tuataira formed the subject of a very interesting lecture delivered at Auckland recently by Mr. R. A. Falla, of the museum staff. A solitary living relic of prehistoric ages, the tuatara is regarded by most people who have seen it—and by many who have not —as a very dull and uninteresting grey lizard whose chief claim to notice is its lifeless immobility. Such apparently is not the ease, and Mr Falla recently introduced it to his audience a sagacious creature which practised the virtue of ecenomy. with reptilian thoroughness, and whose worst vice was curiosity.

Avoiding technicalities as far as possible, Falla explained that the tuatara had descended from the secondary period in the earth’s existence, when the chief form of life was reptilian, and it lived in company with pterodactyls, mastodons and other saurian monsters whose existence is now ascertainable by means of fossilised remains. The tuatara therefore possessed an extremely proud and ancient lineage, which went back for many thousands of years. Its present form was practically the same as that of its ancestors, and comparison with fossilised remains of n similar reptile found in Shropshire and in the United States showed that there was very little divergence with the passing of the centuries. The skull, of the tuatara was remarkably bird-li'ke, but this was understandable when it was realised that birds were direct descendants of the reptiles. Much was heard about its socalled third eye, a cavity in the centre of the skull, which in the young of the species is noticeable as a discoloured patch of skin. Various theories were held regarding this formation, but the most likely one was that the (Feature originally possessed a third eye in the top of its head to enable it to see the approach of the pterodactyl, a 'huge flying monster, which was its chief enemy. A COMMUNAL LIFE.

Although it formerly inhabited the mainland of New Zealand, the tuatara lias now disappeared, hut il still exists in large numbers on the small islands close to the coast, extending from the Three Kings in Iho North, to Stephen’s Island and the Brothers Islands in Cook Strait. On these small islands, which are of little use commercially and hence are unlikely to he disturbed by human beings, the tuatara exists in its primeval state. By day all is silence, broken only by the sound of the sea or the rustling of the win'd in the scrub. But by night, according to Mr. Falla’s description of an island he had visited, everything was changed. The tuatara lives not alone, but in company with a. species of petrel, more familiarly known in New Zealand as the mutton-bird. Both creatures live in burrows in the sand, but the tuatara, being imbued with the instinct fo(r economy, prefers to share lodgings with a -family of mutton-birds in order to save the trouble of excavating its own burrow. When it is compelled to dig a burrow of its own it makes a cavity only large enough to bold its own body, but which cannot compare in comfort with the commodious residence constructed by the mutton-bird. This communal life lasts only from October to March, and during the (remaining portion of the year the tuatara retires into hibernation.

The arrangement between the birds and the tuataira is mutually satisfactory. The birds arrive in October for the nesting season and dig their burrows. It is then that the tuatara selects a bird of quiet and peaceable disposition upon whose hospitality it foists itself. Aftey the eggs have been laid the hen bird sits on them for three weeks and spends practically the whole of this time in the burrow, sleeping during the day. The male bird is away during the daylight hours at his feeding grounds, which may be from fit) to 100 miles away, but in the evening he returns to feed his mate. This is the time (hiking Which the tuatara roams forth in search of the small ground creatures which constitute its food and as it does not return to the burrow until dawn the male bird has by that time sallied forth once more to its feeding ground and the problem of overcrowding does not eventuate. LEISURE IN BREATHING.

Breathing is a very leisurely process for the tuatara and in his most active period between October and March, when he may be said to be living at bis fastest rate, the tuatara breathes only once in about 30 minutes. The breeding season commences usually iu November, when the female lays about 100 eggs, which bear a close resemblance to a djecrepfi't pingpong ball and which are very tough and leathery in texture. These are buried in a sunny portion of the beach or sand-dune and are left for 13 months to incubate:

Having described the life and habits of this interesting creature, Mr. (Falla introduced to the audience a captive tuatara of rather a taciturn appearance, which proudly boro the name of “Mussolini.” This specimen, which had not been fed since April, had been awakened from his winter sleep a week previously in preparation for lecture, and displayed a considerable amount of activity. At every strange noise his head was raised and if his curiosity was not then satisfied he executed a series

of quick gyrations attributed by the lecturer to the excitement resulting from bis strange sujrroundings. It was an inspiring performance (says the Herald).