All I know is that it's from New Zeland; a friend took those pics for me when he was on vacation.

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~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck

Hi Steph, it's a Tuatara, a rare find. http://www.doc.govt.nz/Conservation/...ls/Tuatara.asp

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Val
www.reptilerescuerichmond.org

As Val said it is a Tuatara, one of the, if not the oldest, in terms of how long the order has been around, reptiles on the planet.

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I'll think of something to put here soon.......

Indeed.. older than the dinasours apparently. They have some at Chester Zoo over here - they are great little animals, i love 'em! So is that a wild one Steph? - it looks so calm like it's posing for the camera

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

Actually, that's not a lizard at all! The others are right, its a tuatara. But tuataras are in their own order, Rhynchocephalia. There are only a few species, maybe two, or perhaps its just down to one now. I know of Sphenodon punctatus. Extremely endangered. The class Reptilia consists of:

Squamata: lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians

Crocodylia: crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gharials

Chelonia: turtles, tortoises, and terrapins

Rhynchocephalia: tuataras

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+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

could you imagine running into one of those in the wild ?

That would be sooo incredible !!

Matt.....you always find an opportunity to teach....thank you

Indeed an awesome find,,,they've been around since the dinosaurs. PArt of the reason they are so rare is they take up to 20 yrs to reach reproductive age. Some believe that they are the last survivors of a species that was wiped out 65 million years ago.

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Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

Thank you for the education! Actually, my best friend was vacationing in New Zealand (last year?) and took the photo while he was on a tour. I'll get more details from him. He didn't know what it was... just took the pic because he figured I'd like it.... how sweet of him.

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~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck