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Tuatara face problems with rising temperatures

Author
Daniel Walker,
Publish Date
Tue, 10 Jan 2017, 12:44PM
(Image: Department of Conservation)
(Image: Department of Conservation)

Tuatara face problems with rising temperatures

Author
Daniel Walker,
Publish Date
Tue, 10 Jan 2017, 12:44PM

UPDATED 7.20pm New Zealand's native dinosaur, the tuatara won't be able to mate if the country keeps breaking record temperatures.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research yesterday confirmed 2016 was the warmest year since records began, more than a hundred years ago.

Forest and Bird climate spokesperson Geoff Keey said tuatara have a quirky trait ... when the temperature rises, more males are born.

He sayidthe world is headed to about 4 degrees warming, at which point there would be no more female tuatara born - meaning the species would go extinct in the wild.

Rising temperatures are also threatening one of the world's rarest penguin species.

Forest and Bird said it could be the end for the endangered yellow eyed penguin - a New Zealand native - if nothing's done about climate change.

Mr Keey said they're easily threatened by changing temperatures.

"When the summers have been too hot, like we saw in the previous summer, the chicks get dehydrated and they die. It is a disaster, it really is."

Mr Keey said the warming ocean also means there's likely to be reduced food supplies for the penguins.

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