Two Tuatara Hatchlings

In 2012 adult Tuatara were released at Orokonui Ecosanctuary.
Earlier this year University of Otago Student Jade Christiansen found two Tuatara hatchlings!
The rate in which Tuatara reproduce is slow. They take 10 to 20 years to reach sexual maturity. Females can only breed every two to five years. To produce eggs with yolk takes between one and three years and it takes up to seven months to form the shell. From copulation to hatching, it takes an additional 12 to 15 months.

Initially reported by Stuff. Image retrieved from Orokonui Ecosanctuary website.