THE TUATARA LIZARD

Taranaki Daily News, 5 October 1929, Page 17 (Supplement)

THE TUATARA LIZARD

AN INTERESTING REPTILE

(By

“C.M.H.”)

In an article in this column last week dealing with the Tapui Nikau pa, reference- was made to the Tuatara lizard formerly.. known in that locality. A correspondent has asked for some particulars of this interesting creature. Up till about thirty years ago the Tuatara was fairly - common in both the North and South Islands of New Zealand, as well as in smaller islands around- the coasts. Nowadays' it is indeed rare to hear of the existence of a specimen, although it. is affirmed that in the Taupo district the species still persists. Fortunately sanctuaries have been made on the Little .Barrier Island, Raurima Rocks in the Bay of Plenty, Stephen and. The Brothers Islands in Cook Strait, - Motiti and East Cape Islands, and one or two other isolated islands. In colour it is a greenish olive, with yellow spots; in length it grows up to twenty inches. The female is generally darker coloured than the male and is the larger of the pair. The Tuatara lizard is a survival of a very ancient order of life. Scientists aver that it- belongs to a period millions of years ago. Through all the ages the creature has not evolved, and remains structurally the same. It is • perhaps smaller than its progenitors of earlier ages. The home of the lizard its in -a hole . dug in the ground and often near the roots of large: trees that grow on the edge of the forests. The reptiles live a lethargic life and indulge in long periods of sleep. On warm ’ days they .will emerge from their lairs and lie basking. in the sun for many hours, without- showing the slightest movement. In summer they love to be near shallow water, in which they will lie for half a day at a time. On approach of : danger they iswim rapidly, j sometimes entirely under water, and at I other times, with just the nostrils protruding. They travel very slowly oh land, with the long tail and part of the body trailing along the ground. When startled they Will lift the whole body and tail from the ground, and travel fast for a brief period, their limbs being apparently too feeble for sustained effort in this position. They are timid creatures and quickly scuttle to their holes if scared by any unusual noise. The food of the Tuataras consists of small creatures such as grasshoppers, beetles, spiders and smaller lizards. When stalking their prey they move almost imperceptibly slowly until close up, when they make a dash and secure their victim. Some Tuataras kept in a museum were fed largely on sna'ils. They frequently existed for days, and even weeks, without taking food. When they did so they hunted around their' cage, and it was surprising the number of snails they would seize and devour., Frequently only one of the lizards would be seeking food. The other four specimens in the museum would lie apparently sound asleep. The seeker of food ■would clamber over their bodies without disturbing them in the least. These Tuataras were at times fed on shredded raw meat and earthworms. In the old days the Maoris knew a good deal about the Tuataras. WTien the kumara crops had been gathered and stored in the underground pits for winter use a Tuatara was sometimes placed in the pit to devour worms, beetles and other small creatures .that fed on the kumaras. The lizard would sometimes be kept in the pit for years and fed during the period in which there were no vermin. The old time Maori treated the Tuatara with respect and fear. As it was a strange creature, and under the special care of the old Maori deity Tane, no Maori cared to molest it without the consent of the tohunga. In fact, there were special observances and incantations to be repeated when a Tuatara, was suddenly discovered. If due observance were not paid the ancient Maoris believed that the creature had the power to bewitch them and cause death. The Tuatara lizards formerly living on the upper portion of Tapuj, Nikau on the Newall Road were a specially protected family. The wise men of the pa could handle and feed them, but the ordinary person dared not toiich them. Any special possession of the' leading men of the/.village would be placed in the.vicinity of the lizards, and no Maori dare touch or even approach it. If a Maori were afflicted with an-illness of an internal nature he would go to the tohunga for medical advice. If . the illness would’ not respond to herbal treatment the tohunga would declare that a lizard (ngarara) .was enclosed in the person’s body and -was the cause of all the trouble. • Should the sick person be a man of standing with a fancy mat or robe or greenstone miri, or specially carved taiaha, the tohunga would offer to remove the lizard by incantation and ceremony, provided, of course, that he received the coveted article as a reward. On gaining possession the tohunga would go through a whole lot of mummery, work Kimself up into a frenzy, and finally declare that the lizard had been successfully extracted. It was just a matter of simple faith on the part of the afflicted person, but in those days the ancient Maori had implicit faith in the power of the priest. Old natives of the Waimate Plains used to state that a very large and ancient Tuatara lizard ■ lived near Manaia. The creature was supposed to inhabit a cave in an old bed of the Kapuni Stream. The old natives of the Waiokura pa venerated the Tuatara, and would wander off alone and chant to it the songs of old. These old tattooed Maori braves firmly believed that this particular lizard had inhabited the locality for hundreds of years. Because of its great age it was credited with much wisdom and whether the Maoris were seeking information about a raid, fishing for shark and tainore (schnapper), planting kumaras or kumi kumi and other vital matters, the Tuatara had always listened to their supplication, and indicated in some occult way /(not understood by the ignorant pakcha) the proper manner in which to proceed with any such undertakina.