Successful breeding of reptiles lived before dinosaurs

For the first time, Earth-based tuatara reptiles from 225 million years ago were successfully bred at the British zoo.

According to the BBC, conservationist Isolde McGeorge at Chester Zoo said she was very touched when she saw the eggs of tuatara hatched successfully. After 238 days of incubation, the tuatara con opened on December 5, 2015. When it is definitely healthy, this news has just been announced on 1/2.

"This is a great event. For the first time a British zoo successfully breeds a tuatara that was only found in New Zealand," McGeorge said. The gender of the baby reptile has not been determined.

"Fossil living" tuatara.(Photo: BBC).

The birth of Tuatara was the descendant of a mature tuatara paired by Wellington Zoo in New Zealand to Chester Zoo in 1994 during a cooperative program between the two countries. As an adult, tuatara weighs about 1.3kg and is about 80cm long.

The tuatara reptile (scientific name Sphenodon punctatus) has a lizard-like appearance, lived about 225 million years ago and appeared before dinosaurs. After the dinosaur extinction, this species still exists.

According to Chesterchronicle.co.uk, about 70 million years ago, the Sphenodon punctatus species were suddenly extinct elsewhere on Earth, except New Zealand. Scientists call tuatara a "living fossil" because their appearance is almost unchanged despite the long evolution.

The tuatara is worshiped in Maori culture in New Zealand, and they are now strictly protected in the country.