Scientists studying one of New Zealand’s most iconic reptiles have found that it chews its food in a way unlike any other animal on the planet, challenging the popular perception that complex chewing ability is linked to high metabolism.

Using a moving 3D computer model based on the skull and teeth of a New Zealand reptile called tuatara, a BBSRC-funded team from the University of Hull, University College London and the Hull York Medical School has revealed how damage to dental implants and jaw joints may be prevented by sophisticated interplay between our jaws, muscles and brain.

Mammals and many species of birds and fish are among evolution's "winners," while crocodiles, alligators and a reptile cousin of snakes known as the tuatara are among the losers, according to new research by UCLA scientists and colleagues.

Conservationists said on Thursday that a rare "living fossil" tuatara reptile has been born in the wild in an area of New Zealand where it was believed to have been extinct for 200 years.

Age didn't matter for a 110-year-old endangered male lizard-like creature and his 80-year old mate in New Zealand -- they just produced 11 offspring. Henry, a tuatara, only recently showed interest in the fairer of his species after years of disinterest in procreation and irascible behavior, CNN reported Friday.