00:00This is what is known as a tuatara.
00:06It's a creature which has lived on this planet for some 240 million years, predating even
00:12the dinosaurs.
00:13Today, there are only around 50,000 of them left in the wild, with fossil records indicating
00:17that they have gone extinct everywhere else in the world save for New Zealand.
00:21Which is why these guys are so special, as they are the first tuataras ever bred outside
00:26of the island nation.
00:27They were conceived at the Chester Zoo in the UK, and it took four decades to do so.
00:32They had to painstakingly recreate the reptile's natural habitats, managing the flora and temperatures
00:37exactly to mimic their current homeland.
00:40Tuataras are of particular curiosity to researchers, not only for their history, but because they
00:45also possess a third eye on top of their heads.
00:48However, while it has all of the hallmarks of an eyeball, including the retina, cornea,
00:52and lens, they don't use the eye to see.
00:54Rather, it's used to detect sunlight intensity and help them thermoregulate their body temperature.
00:59It is also used to manage their circadian rhythm, hormones, and help them navigate the
01:04world.
01:05Experts believe that the proliferation of rats and climate change has drastically affected
01:09tuatara numbers globally.
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