Tuatara

Tuatara

The Tuatara is famous because it is the only survivor of an ancient group of reptiles that roamed the earth at the same time as the dinosaurs. It hasn’t changed much in over 225 million years!

Tuatara live on special islands to protect them from predators like cats, rats, stoats, ferrets, wild dogs and weasels. Tuatara are found in NZ native bush on the islands. They sometimes shares burrows with birds and other small animals. They are cold blooded so don't mind the cold but like to bask in warm places.

Tuatara eat a lot of things so this is just a little bit of what they eat. They eat flies, cicadas, caterpillars, worms, geckos, skinks, small fish, raw liver, steak, meal worms, grasshoppers and newborn mice. Tuatara don’t eat like us, instead of moving their jaw up and down like humans they move their jaw side to side grinding the food they're eating.  

Tuatara are reptiles, but they’re not lizards. They are native to New Zealand so that means they are only found in NZ. Some people call them a living fossil.Tuatara were around with the dinosaurs and the word Tuatara is a maori word meaning spiny back and guess why. They are called spiny back because the Tuatara have a spiny back. Adult Tuatara are between 30 and 75cm long, and weigh between 250 and 1,200 grams. Males are much larger than females.

Tuatara were around with the dinosaurs and so that is why they are called a living

fossil.

By Greta:)

Sir Edmund hillary

I am a famous explorer. I was the first ever to climb Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world.

I was born on the 20th of July 1919 in Auckland, New Zealand. I died (age 88) not long ago in 2008 Jan 11 in the Auckland city hospital. I had three children who are now grown up and their names are Peter Hillary, Sarah Hillary and Belinda Hillary.

I describe myself as a lonely child, short and always had my nose buried in books but by my late teens I grew and become the tallest in my class. Then during a school trip to Mt Ruapehu I discovered my love and talent for climbing.

I took on my first climb at the age of 20, I climbed Mt Ollivier. Then I started to set my   sights on the tallest mountain, Mt Everest. I decided to go for it. So I gathered up all the best climbers and got permission, then we started climbing. As the climb went on    higher and higher, days and months more climbers had to stop and drop out.  Sherpa Tenzing Norgay (my climbing partner) and me carried on and on, higher and higher. After the final push we made it too the top of the 8, 849 m Mt Everest at 11:30 am on May 29th 1953.

I am now on the five dollar note so that everyone will remember me.

My eldest son Peter hillary followed me in my footsteps and climbed Mt Everest twice himself. In amongst other adventures I joined with famous astronaut Neil Armstrong and together we journeyed to the North Pole and then climbed Mt Vinson, Antarctica's highest peak. Once in my eighties I no longer climbed as I was too old. I then raised money for charities and became a fundraiser.

I was a famous explorer. I was well known for my many mountains that I climbed. I was the most famous New Zealander of all time. A living legend.