This handsome fellow is a Tuatara, a rare reptile, native to New Zealand. Like the Coelacanth, Tuataras are the last surviving species of an order that thrived in ancient, ancient history and was once thought to be totally extinct—in this case, Sphenodontia.
The Tuatara looks a lot more like its fossilized relatives than the living Coelacanth does, but Tuatara isn't a species frozen in time. In fact, its genome seems to be accumulating mutations faster than any other living vertebrates'. It's just that most of the mutations are happening in places that don't change what the Tuatara looks like. Fascinating stuff. And it gets better. See, the Tuatara has a the remnants of a once-functional third eye on top of its head.
Last month, the New York Times published a great story about Tuatara, written by Natalie Angier, which will catch you up on the basics of his awesome (and awesomely long-lived) animal.
But I owe a debt of gratitude to reader JonS, who brought up the Tuatara in the comments of my Coelacanth story today. Thanks for introducing me to this very delightful creature, Jon!
