A rare sighting of five hatchling tuatara emerging at Orokonui Ecosantuary has been caught on camera by University of Otago researchers who were undertaking a routine inspection of the nest at the time. “It was definitely a surprise but the best kind of surprise that we could have hoped for.”A tuatara hatchling with the eggshell behind Photo: Alison CreeOne after another, with some even wriggling from their eggshells, five hatchling tuatara emerged from the nest over a period of about an hour. This is Ms Christiansen’s second experience with tuatara hatchlings, following her sighting last year of Orokonui Ecosanctuary’s first known hatchlings. Photo: Alison CreeOrokonui Ecosanctuary Conservation manager Elton Smith said finding these new tuatara hatchlings was incredibly exciting for the ecosanctuary team. Orokonui is home to the southernmost wild population of Tuatara, and the only known wild population on Te Waipounamu South Island.

Source: Otago Daily Times April 01, 2021 15:22 UTC