A sharp-eyed demolition contractor is being praised for discovering four baby tuatara hiding in an old enclosure at the former Southland Museum and Art Gallery site.
It's thought the youngsters, ranging in size from 110mm to 120mm and weighing between 5g and 9g, are less than 12 months old, meaning they had likely not hatched when the museum's existing tuatara were moved out of the enclosure in February 2023.
Invercargill City Council parks and recreation manager Caroline Rain said it was "an unexpected surprise".
"We are so pleased to find these resilient animals so healthy and well," she said.
Rain said every effort was made to search the enclosure when the tuatara was moved last year but any eggs would have been hard to find - as tuatara bury them in the ground to incubate.
"We have gone back in to undertake a further thorough check."
Demolition works have been paused until the all-clear is given.
The discovery is also significant because the babies were discovered in an area where the Brothers Island Ngā Whatu Kaipono tuatara were housed, which were not thought to be capable of breeding.
Te Ātiawa ki Te Waka-a-Māui Trust chief executive Justin Carter said the iwi was thrilled to hear about the discovery.
"Witnessing the successful breeding and then survival of our Brothers Island tuatara after a long absence demonstrates the enduring capacity of these taonga who will withstand the test of time."
The Southland Museum and Art Gallery, Niho o te Taniwha, is being demolished and rebuilt after closing in 2018 due to earthquake safety concerns. The museum's 17 other tuatara have been moved to a new enclosure at the Queens Park animal reserve, which will open to the public on Saturday 8 June. The new enclosure has a maximum of 18 tuatara, meaning the new discoveries will have to be housed elsewhere.
