January 27, 2009

Henry, a tuatara, has become a father at the ripe age of 111. (Pet Pulse Photo Illustration)

WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Abraham was 99 when his son Isaac was born, according to the Old Testament, but one reptile, whose legend also dates back to B.C., has set a new standard for late fatherhood.

Henry, a tuatara, became a father this week at the age of 111.

Mating prospects for the ancient reptile were not looking too good -- Henry had been treated for cancer, leaving him hostile toward prospective mates.

Yet one female tuatara, 80-year-old Mildred, still caught his eye. In March, Mildred laid the couple's nine eggs, as Pet Pulse previously reported. The eggs hatched on Monday at the Sotuhland Museum and Art Gallery, in Invercargill, New Zealand.

"I've done lots of eggs before but these are just special because they are Henry's," museum tuatara curatory Lindsay Hazley told The Southland Times.

It isn't Henry's age that sets him apart -- tuataras can "go beyond 100 well and truly," said Hazley, accoring to The Associated Press. "They can be around for 150 to 200 years."

First, he is part of an endangered reptile order called the Sphenodontia, which dates back to the time of dinosaurs, more than 200 million years ago. The tuatara, which are only found in New Zealand, is the last of the species to still be living.

They have been considered endangered since 1895.

The hatchlings will provide a much-needed boost to the species' existence. While male tuataras can breed once a year, females can only do so every four years, much to the chagrin of zoologists, struggling to keep this endangered reptile alive and well.

The Southalnd Museum and Art Gallery keeps 72 of the reptiles, the result of 42 hatchlings in the past two years. Henry joined the museum ranks in 1970, but didn't fit in as well as his keepers would have liked.

He was a "grumpy old man," according to Hazley, prone to attack other reptiles and prospective mates. In 2002, however, Henry had a cancerous tumor removed from his genitals; after the surgery, things appeared to look up for the old man.

"He was no longer aggressive," said Hazley, paving the way for Henry's ability -- or willingness -- to mate.

There are thought to be about 50,000 tuataras in the world, many of which reside in sanctuaries. The creatures usually become sexually maure at the age of 20, but Henry, apparently, was a late bloomer.

The baby tuataras are said to be doing well, but are not benefiting from some fatherly love.

"If he [Henry] saw the babies and they came close, they would be lunch," Hazley said.

Named after its physical characteristics, tuatara means "peaks on the back" in Maori, a native New Zealand language. The creatures are greenish brown and measure 32-inches from beak to tail-tip.

They also have a parietal eye, or called the "third eye" by researchers, who are still working to determine the part's function.

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The Associated Press, The Southland Times and BBC News contributed to this article.