Tuatara once ranged throughout new zealand before rats , cats , and stoats ? introduced by human colonizers ? wiped them out 据殖民者们介绍说，大蜥蜴以前遍布新西兰，直到老鼠、野猫和白鼬把它们挤掉。
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Saving the tuatara is a matter of pride among new zealand ' s indigenous groups . the animals are revered by the maori as a taonga , or treasure 拯救大蜥蜴在新西兰土著部落里是一件荣耀的事情。这种动物被毛利人视宝贵财富。
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Less than one degree celsius ( 1 . 8 degrees fahrenheit ) is all that stands between the tuatara ? new zealand ' s " living fossil " reptile ? and extinction , scientists say 不用一摄氏度就能决定“活化石”新西兰大蜥蜴的生死存亡。
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" in the maori worldview we believe that everything is connected , so that tuatara are part of our whakapapa ? our genealogy , " paine added “在毛利人的世界观里，世上万物皆相关，所以大蜥蜴也是我们的家族成员，是我们的家人。 ”
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Intensifying the problem is the slow reproduction rate of the reptiles . on average , female tuatara mate once every four years , and eggs take between 11 and 16 months to hatch 更糟的是，这种动物繁殖率很低。平均来说，雌性每4年才交配一次，而卵需要11 - 16个月时间孵化。
