Baby tuatara hatched at springs

The tuatara breeding has been a labour of love for Mark Paterson. Photo / The Daily Post

The closest living relative of the dinosaur, the tuatara, is one of the oldest animals on the planet.

But not these ones. Rotorua's Rainbow Springs has hatched 11 baby tuatara, one of the largest clutches of eggs to hatch in captivity.

While few of us can expect to see out the 21st century, many tuatara live to more than 100 years, meaning these little babies could still be round in the year 2111, albeit looking a little more grizzled and worse for wear.

Park manager Mark Paterson watched as the first tuatara hatched. "I was buzzing," he said. "I was absolutely stoked." It has been a labour of love for Paterson, who has spent more than six months monitoring the eggs and waiting for them to hatch.

The eggs were kept in incubators in a natural mineral, Vermiculite, which is able to provide a moist environment for the tuatara.

The babies' parents are 24-year-old Honey and 53-year-old Bugsy, two of the five adult tuatara at the park.

The first tuatara was born at the end of March and the 11th was born on Friday morning.

They are being kept in a warm room and are feeding on a diet of locusts, flies and larvae.

In a few weeks they will be moved to a bigger enclosure and in about six months the public will get to see them.

Rainbow Springs general manager Michelle Caudwell said it had been a long and painstaking wait, especially after a previous clutch of eggs of the endangered species hadn't hatched.

Rainbow Springs is planning to hold a competition to find names for each of the 11 tuatara.