Tuatara (鳄蜥) can only be found on the islands off the coast of New Zealand. And they are one of the (old) animals in the world. They were on the earth 220 million years ago. At that time, there were a lot of tuatara all over the world, but in most (place) they died out about one million years ago because other stronger animals developed and became tuatara killers. At same time, New Zealand became separated from the rest of the world, so tuatara have continued to live in New Zealand.
Tuatara are coldblooded animals so they feel cold you touch them. They can grow up24 centimeters in length (长度) and weigh more than 1 kilogram. Tuatara make (they) homes in holes in the ground. They often share their holes with birds, which is not a good idea for the birds because tuatara are fond of(eat) eggs and baby birds. In fact, they will eat anything they can catch, but (usual) they eat insects (昆虫)．
The number of tuatara (drop) since people and other animals came to New Zealand one thousand years ago. Today, there aren't many tuatara left. In New Zealand, programs have been set up (protect) them.
