Saturday, November 8, 2008

Live Dragon Eggs Found!


Tuatara eggs found in sanctuary

Eggs of the critically endangered lizard-like primitive reptile, the tuatara, have been found:

...Wildlife lovers are ecstatic at the discovery of four tuatara eggs at Wellington's Karori Sanctuary...While there's no way of knowing when the eggs will hatch, sanctuary staff are hoping it will be in the next few months...


The moment they hatch, the little monsters will be hungry for human flesh! Heh! Besides the wiki link above, there's a cute faq here. One interesting fact about these remarkable reptiles is that they have three eyes. Well, the third eye is not really a developed eye, but called a 'parietal eye'. However, many lizards have this feature. Even the common Anole (sometimes called 'American Chameleons', or humiliatingly sold as 'dragons' at Ren Faires) have this feature. Next time you are in a pet store, check-out the area directly between the eyes--on top of the head--of one of these lizards. If you look carefully, you'll see what looks like a tiny polished bead embedded there. Behold, the 'third eye'!

(image of 'The Giant Behemoth' from the very excellent badmovies.org)