Henry, a rare New Zealand reptile, is believed to be the oldest member of its species.
Henry, the oldest member of the tuatara species and a true New Zealand legend, is a living witness to Earth’s ancient history. The Guardian reported this.
This reptile, also known as a hatteria, lived for more than a century, reaching the age of 110 to 130 years. He is the only living descendant of the ancient order Sphenodontia, which existed alongside the dinosaurs more than 225 million years ago.
Henry was born on Stevens Island and, despite many threats such as birds and predators, survived in the wild. In 1970, aged about 80, he was moved to the Queen’s Park Nature Reserve, where he was given new life and became a favorite with visitors.
The tuatara, although similar to a lizard, is a unique reptile, with a “third eye” on the top of its head that senses light. They live up to 200 years, and can reproduce even after 100 years. Henry only had his first offspring at the age of 111 after a successful operation that restored him to health and activity.
Henry now lives in a specially created enclosure that reproduces his natural environment. The reserve carefully cares for him and his neighbors – 70-year-old tuatara Lucy and Mildred.
It was previously reported that the world’s oldest cat died in the UK at the age of 33.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.