Thanks BenLurkin. Too bad this wasn't in Australia, we could sing a chorus, "we're off to see the lizard, the not-quite-a-lizard of Oz..."
Posted on 08/09/2020 1:57:55 PM PDT by BenLurkin
According to new sequencing of the tuatara's entire genome - one of the largest on record and 50 percent larger than the human genome - it appears this strange creature is neither lizard, bird, nor mammal. Rather, it's some strange amalgamation of all three.
According to the authors of the new study, the animal's genomic architecture is unlike anything previously reported.
Found solely in New Zealand, the tuatara - which does greatly resemble a lizard to the untrained eye - is considered a taonga, or 'special treasure' for the local Māori.
These nocturnal creatures can live for a century, withstand super cold temperatures, hold their breath for as long as an hour, and see light out of a third 'parietal eye' on their heads.
Today, the species' closest relatives are snakes and lizards, but to call them relatives is a bit like calling a kangaroo a relative of humans. Their common ancestor actually goes back some 250 million years.
Throughout that huge amount of time, tuatara have remained the sole members of the archaic reptilian order known as Rhynchocephalia.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencealert.com ...
Seriously, caught my cynical eye too.
Just HOW hot was it supposed to be 200 million years ago? Or 250? How many global cooling/glaciation/warming cycles since then.
I am SO tired of this bullshit about global warming killing everything and man is the only solution if he’ll give up enoug h of his hard-earned wages or just stop having children.
Lol.... what the hell is that?
*bmk
Well I didn’t compare it to an iguana but to a chameleon as there seem to be some similarities and I don’t mind either one of them. In any case thanks for your reply !
That was my thought at first, but, the difference is, Tuataras were, in the past, much more widely distributed. Any species that becomes confined to a very small range or habitat has a dicey future.
There are, however, ongoing efforts to re-establish Tuataras in some of their old haunts, and if they represent little threat as invasive species, certainly efforts could be made to establish them in suitable habitats as climate changes. Mo’ Nature will make changes with or without or perhaps in spite of any help from us.
It’s a lizard Jim.
Here’s the link to the study in Nature Magazine online. It is very interesting, if a bit “thick” reading. It is quite astonishing what the genetics can tell us.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2561-9#Abs1
Well.... Nancy Pelosi sorta looks like a human....
They taste like turducken.
The Aechidna is another one of those “WTF” critters. Lays eggs, produces milk! How bout dat?
"All the King's horses and all the King's men
Could never put a smile on that face."
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-basic-reptile-groups-130690
from link:
Tuatara is a group of reptiles that are lizard-like in appearance but they differ from the squamates in that their skull is not jointed. Tuatara was once widespread but today only two species of tuatara remain. Their range is now restricted to just a few islands in New Zealand. The first tuatara appeared during the Mesozoic Era, about 220 million years ago, about the same time the first dinosaurs appeared. The closest living relatives of the tuatara are the squamates.
Key Characteristics
The key characteristics of tuataras include:
slow growth and low reproductive rates
reach sexual maturity at 10 to 20 years of age
diapsid skull with two temporal openings
prominent parietal eye on top of the head
Maybe they won't make it ... let's hope they can be protected.
Cute!
Thanks BenLurkin. Too bad this wasn't in Australia, we could sing a chorus, "we're off to see the lizard, the not-quite-a-lizard of Oz..."
Why don’t we see all of the “in transition” forms? Or new “in transition” forms?
At the core the planet IS burning.
And the Sun is burning too!
He seems to be a bit wrapped too tight
They taste better than bald eagle stuffed with spotted owl covered in snail darter glaze.
(so I hear)
I’d like to see the Cajun Recipe for this critter.
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