Dinosaur Descendant Reptile Loves Sex Again; Henry the Tuatara Becomes Dad at 111 Years of Age!
Henry the Tuatara, has suddenly regained his sexual vigor, and scientists in a New Zealand zoo are excited that he is becoming a dad, after nearly 40 boring years living a life of an eunuch. Science world is also excited with Henry’s newly acquired fame, largely because his family is ‘ancient’, even pre-dating evolution of the dinosaurs.
A large part of the excitement, however, is not that Henry seems to be racing against time but he is enjoying the company of three mates in his sunset years. He has lived long, though, with his species having a lifespan of about 70 years in the wild.
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Tuatara resemble lizards, but are equally related to lizards and snakes, both of which are classified as Squamata, their closest living relatives, according to Wikipedia.
Scientists find them quite fascinating and the tuatara are of great interest in the study of the evolution of lizards and snakes, and for the reconstruction of the appearance and habits of the earliest diapsids (the group that additionally includes birds and crocodiles).
Native only to New Zealand, they are believed to be descended from a creature that roamed the face of the earth during the age of dinosaurs around 200 million years ago. It hasn’t changed its form much in over 225 million years! The relatives of tuatara died out about 60 million years ago which is why the tuatara is sometimes called a ‘living fossil’.
But Henry had not been known to show any interest in sex during his 40 years in captivity despite the fact that tuataras reach sexual maturity between 15 and 20 years of age. It was only the recent removal of a cancerous growth from Henry’s genitals that seemingly reinvigorated his loins, according to officials at the New Zealand Zoo where he makes his home.
Mildred, his mate is thought to be aged between 70 and 80. She produced 12 eggs in mid-July after a brief liaison with Henry.
Tuataras take their name from the Maori word meaning spiny back but are now threatened by global warming because their sex, as is the case with most reptiles, is determined by temperature.
Measuring 80cm in length, there are about 100,000 of them in the wild, and scientists are worried no females will be produced in just 80 years if the world becomes warmer.
That is why Henry’s exciting exploits with Mildred are just but a small intervention; the larger, yet more significant intervention remains with humans.
Useful Resource: Tuatara Fact Sheet
Image credit: Nyaa Birdies Perch at Flickr under a Creative Commons license
