111-year-old reptile finally becoming a father THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Officials say an indigenous New Zealand reptile regarded as one of the last living remnants of the dinosaurs will become a father for the first time in decades at the age of 111.
Henry the tuatara and his younger mate Mildred produced a dozen eggs last month after mating at the Southland Museum on New Zealand's South Island in March.
Tuatara curator Lindsay Hazley said Wednesday Henry has lived at the museum's special enclosure for Tuatara since 1970 and had shown no interest in sex until he recently had a cancerous growth removed from his genitals. He was now enjoying the company of three females and might breed again next March.
― Mackro Mackro, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 19:37 (seventeen years ago)
Sorry.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1120ap_odd_old_reptile_fatherhood.html?source=mypi
― Mackro Mackro, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 19:38 (seventeen years ago)
in b4 mccain joek
― goole, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 19:38 (seventeen years ago)
I love that tuatara.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 19:38 (seventeen years ago)
jesus, he's going to be 129 when they graduate from high school.
― s1ocki, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 19:53 (seventeen years ago)
an indigenous New Zealand reptile regarded as one of the last living remnants of the dinosaurs
So, in other words, it's a reptile.
― Hurting 2, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 21:18 (seventeen years ago)
Unless that was a really clunky attempt at a 'lol old' joke
― DJ Mencap, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 21:36 (seventeen years ago)
I think the idea is that, unlike snakes and lizards etc., tuataras (a/k/a rhynocephalians) actually co-existed (or even maybe pre-dated) dinosaurs (though the Wiki entry sez "recent taxonomic and molecular work has shown that they have changed significantly since the Mesozoic era," so maybe not.)
― xhuxk, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 22:57 (seventeen years ago)
Crocodiles were round then too, weren't they?
― James Morrison, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 23:07 (seventeen years ago)
i got a scrabulous bingo last week with 'tuatara' :D
― lex pretend, Wednesday, 6 August 2008 23:23 (seventeen years ago)