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| Classification (HAGRID: 03588) | |
| Taxonomy | Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia (Taxon entry) Order: Rhynchocephalia Family: Sphenodontidae Genus: Sphenodon |
| Species | Sphenodon punctatus |
| Common name | Tuatara |
Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits | |
| Maximum longevity | 90 years (captivity) |
| Source | ref. 451 |
| Sample size | medium |
| Data quality | acceptable |
| Observations | Tuataras are the only living descendents from the Rhynchocephalia order and thus have no closely-related species. They are found only in New Zealand. Even though tuataras rarely exceed one kilogram in weight, they are long-lived, attaining sexual maturity after 10-20 years and growing until they are 35-40 years. They probably live over 100 years [0527]. There is an anecdote of a male tuatara at the Southland Museum and Art Gallery first breeding when 111 years of age, but the age of this specimen is unverified. Tuataras appear to have a low optimal body temperature in comparison with other reptiles. |
Life history traits (averages) | |
| Female sexual maturity | 4,380 days |
| Male sexual maturity | 4,380 days |
| Adult weight | 430 g |
Metabolism | |
| Typical body temperature | 296ºK or 22.4ºC or 72.2ºF |
| Resting metabolic rate | 0.0605 W |
| Body mass | 430.0 g |
| Metabolic rate per body mass | 0.000141 W/g |
References |
|
[0037] Gillooly et al. (2001), Effects of size and temperature on metabolic rate, PubMed | |
External resources | |
| Integrated Taxonomic Information System | ITIS 202132 |
| Animal Diversity Web | ADW account |
| Encyclopedia of Life | Search EOL |
| Genome Project | Search NCBI |
| Entrez | |
| Ageing literature | |
| Images | Google Image search |
| Internet | Search Google |
If you find any missing or incorrect data, please contact us.