Prehistoric-Aged Reptile Found Breeding

Dragon-Like Tuatara Eggs Discovered By Accident At Wildlife Reserve In New Zealand

(AP)  A rare reptile with lineage dating back to the dinosaur age has been found nesting on the New Zealand mainland for the first time in about 200 years, officials said Friday.

Four leathery, white eggs from an indigenous tuatara were found by staff at the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in the capital, Wellington, during routine maintenance work Friday, conservation manager Rouen Epson said.

"The nest was uncovered by accident and is the first concrete proof we have that our tuatara are breeding," Epson said. "It suggests that there may be other nests in the sanctuary we don't know of."

Tuatara, dragon-like reptiles that grow to up to 32 inches, are the last descendants of a species that walked the earth with the dinosaurs 225 million years ago, zoologists say.

They have unique characteristics, such as two rows of top teeth closing over one row at the bottom. They also have a pronounced parietal eye, a light-sensitive pineal gland on the top of the skull. This white patch of skin - called its "third eye" - slowly disappears as they mature.

A native species to New Zealand, tuatara were nearly extinct on the country's three main islands by the late 1700s due to the introduction of predators such as rats. They still live in the wild on 32 small offshore islands cleared of predators.

A population of 70 tuatara was established at the Karori Sanctuary in 2005. Another 130 were released in the sanctuary in 2007.

The sanctuary, a 620-acre wilderness minutes from downtown Wellington, was established to breed native birds, insects and other creatures securely behind a predator-proof fence.

Empson said that the four eggs - the size of pingpong balls - were unearthed Friday but that there were likely more because the average nest contains around ten eggs.

The eggs were immediately covered up again to avoid disturbing incubation.

If all goes well, juvenile tuatara could hatch any time between now and March, she said.

[hsinco-2009]

Prehistoric-Aged Reptile Found Breeding

Oh, that McCain is fighsty!!!

Posted by onemoretim at 08:56 AM : Nov 01, 2008

A good reason to ban Viagra!

[truthislife1]

If I looked at a brand new Steinway piano with all it''s 12,000 parts and said that it had no design would be proof that I turned off my brain.

[caliengineer]

Yes, "religion" including the religion of evolution, turns off the brains of its victims.

The hypothesis of evolution has been evolving heavily over the last two decades. A law does not do that.

If you believe in evolution, and you can''t explain why there are ZERO intermediary species leading to man, then you fail. (Yes, I know they faked some, but ALL of those have been debunked when they were shown to be fabricated by pranksters, clowns and dying career archeologists.
you will find whatever you seek. Evolution: hiding cave of lovers of corruption.

[truthislife1]

Religion turns off the brains of its victims.

See proof in the postings below.
Posted by jMcGilvray at 04:14 AM : Nov 01, 2008

Good thing I''m not religious!

[hypnotoad72]

Close the door to the bedroom and go buy a Playboy from whereMart... that''s nobody''s business as to what they do, you know!

[rushlimpdrug]

My fellow Americans we need to stop sending
politicians to New Zealand,

[truthislife1]

I did''nt know 42 would be a candidate for an old geezer, nonetheless, it was quite funny.

[inventagod2]

Hey religoids - get off this board.
This story is about old lizards, not old geezers...

[truthislife1]

All of you people who shoved away faith in Jesus as a child will again have to face that faith.

[inketolstoy]

And I thought this was going to be another article about Madonna''s newest affair. Oh well, maybe next week.

[dburfears]

"Prehistoric" is just science. We really know that nothing on Earth is older than 6,000 years- Sarah Palin.

[generey]

Just my ex-mummy-in-law, but she is very very evil so be careful!

[rjsparling]

Exponential math was done once - it determined that more people have lived in the last 200 years than the rest of the the history of man. Hence the emergence of the problems that come with overpopulation.

[briannorwood]

Prehistoric reptiles caught breeding?

Don''t tell me...the press corps caught Cindy and John McCain making whoppie in the back of the "Straight Talk Express" again!

[josh125a]

"Call me crazy, but if one does the exponential math, there is no possible way that life existed on earth for a million years. We would have people piled 17 miles high on the planet if we existed even a million years."

uh, truthislife1, you''re crazy. if you understood even basic ecology you''d know that population is a function of food supply. when humans all lived as tribes, those tribes developed a natural equilibrium with the rest of the environment and the other species around them. those other species did the same. human population only started growing exponentially since the agricultural revolution (when humans started controlling food production instead of simply feeding on what was around naturally). coincidentally, this is the same time that civilization and all the things that go along with it also developed including economics and every current major world religion. during the time before civilization, human population was growing LINEARLY, not exponentially. and if you just look around, you''ll see that humans are the only species now growing exponentially, being the only species to take food production into its own hands. if what you said was true, EVERY species would be piled 17 miles up. try reading a book other than the bible every now and then. sometimes it helps...

[pfness]

pfness, prove it. St. Paul himself couldn''''t prove it. Even he took the word of others, then became a believer. Posted by markavelli2
____________________________________________________

No he didn''t. He was struck temporarliy blind on the road to Demascus. He had a conversation with Jesus right there. Jesus said "I am Jesus whom thou pursecutest".
So, the question is now....Do you believe the bible at all?
When I was a teen I started reading the bible at home. After awhile, I wanted to find a church.
The problem with the world today is that it only sees Christianity as "Catholic". The Catholics changed wayyy to many things at the council of Nicea. back in or around 325-425, when ever it was. You''ll probably fault me for not looking that up...
Anyway...if Children are raised believing that stuff and then read the bible later, I can see how they would lose their faith in anything.
No, I would not even want to try to prove anything to you. Maybe by the Grace of God you''ll receive a revelation like Paul did. Or you''ll look into the bible and find it like I did. No one ever asked me to go to church. I knew what I believed before I ever walked through the door of the church many many years ago. I believe what the bible says. You can believe anything you want. It''s still a free country...

Yes, I agree, to be educated by atheists is a detriment to religion. But it has nothing to do with the intelligence of people who did not sit under such teachings.

[oscarez]

truthislife1 there are some great schools that can help you with these questions.

[truthislife1]

Call me crazy, but if one does the exponential math, there is no possible way that life existed on earth for a million years. We would have people piled 17 miles high on the planet if we existed even a million years. Good thing the flood happened. Still quite a bit of water out there.

[slim1h2o]

Prehistoric-Aged Reptile Found Breeding

Oh,,,,, I thought they were talking about D. Cheney.

And I was yelling at the computer,,shoot it,, shoot it.

But never mind,,,,,,

(sarcasm)

[darkfyreaol]

Tuatara, dragon-like reptiles that grow to up to 32 inches, are the last descendants of a species that walked the earth with the dinosaurs 225 million years ago, zoologists say.
---------

As are the alligators, sharks, crocodiles, komodo dragons, iguanas, and snakes.