How Tuataras Use
Energy from the Sun
A tuatara is a cold blooded reptile that uses the sun lots.
They use the sun when they are looking for wetas or other
types of insects to eat. They also need
light for their eggs and finding a nest.
Now, how they really use the sun is tuataras need sunlight to let their
eggs hatch. To grow they also use the
sun’s heat. They need the sun’s heat to
shed their skin and they grow bigger with light. Their blood warms up with the sun’s energy
and then it goes cold again when it isn’t in sunlight.
If you don’t know what a tuatara looks like have bumpy hard
green skin and scales and claws. They
have three eyes when they hatch but when they grow the third eye
disappears. Next time you see a tuatara
look at it closely.
By Isla
How Tuataras Use the
Sun’s Energy
Tuatara are cold blooded animals. So are snakes, frog, dinosaurs, lizards and
fish. Tuatara are a type of
reptile. Tuatara are nocturnal. Nocturnal means these sort of animals come
out and are more active at night.
Tuataras have three eyes. The
third eye is on the top of tuatara’s head.
Tuatara live in New Zealand.
Tuataras have soft spikes on their backs. They are cold blooded animals called
ectotherms.
On a hot day many warm blooded animals will sweat to cool
down but tuataras hide from the sun by going into its burrow. Tuatara will hide in its burrow when it is
too hot. The tuatara gets stronger by
being in the sun. Light from the sun
helps the tuatara to grow. Tuataras grow
faster in the summer than the winter when there is more sunlight. The sun’s energy warms tuatara’s body. Tuataras have no extra fat to keep them warm. Tuatara’s favourite temperature is 17 to 22
degrees. Tuatara lay eggs. They need the sun’s energy to warm the eggs
so the babies grow and to hatch.
By Raiha
How Tuatara’s Use the
Sun’s Energy
Tuataras are cold blooded animals, so are fish, frogs and
snakes. When a tuatara wants to cool
down they go to a shady place. They will
go there to their holes if they feel too hot and dry. Cold blooded animals,
like tuatara, will move to a sunny spot to warm up. This is the way a tuatara will use the sun’s
heat to keep warm instead of it burning the food they eat.
Animals that are cold blooded do not eat as much in the
winter as they do in summer. Cold
blooded animals like to lie in the sun after they have eaten a big meal. The sun’s energy warms the tuatara’s
body. This helps its stomach to break up
the food they have eaten.
By Orla
How Tuatara Use the
Energy form the Sun
Tuatara are cold blooded reptiles. To use the sun’s energy they will go where
the sun is shining and will lie down to warm themselves up. And they use the sun’s energy to help digest
their food in their stomachs. They are
nearly extinct so please don’t hurt the tuatara.
By Danny
How Tuatara Use the
Sun’s Energy
Tuatara belong to an ancient group called Sphenodontia. All other species in this group are
extinct. Tuatara are a greenish-brown
colour. They can grow up to half a
metre, 50 centimetres long.
They use the sun’s energy by staying outside for a while and
it makes them run faster and it burns the food that it has had. In summer the sun helps the tuatara grow
faster.
Tuatara have a third eye but as it grows the eye gets
covered with scales.
By William M
How Tuatara Use
Energy from the Sun
Tuatara Description
A tuatara is very clever.
The baby tuatara have an egg tooth on the tip of its nose to push its
way out of the egg shell. They are cold
blooded animals. Tuatara belong to an
ancient group of reptiles called Sphenodontia.
The other reptiles in this group, except for the tuatara, are extinct.
How Tuatara use Energy from the Sun
The tuatara has to move to a sunny spot to use the sun’s
heat to warm up because cold blooded animals have slimy skin or scales that are
smooth on their backs and this skin does not keep their body heat in. The tuatara’s scales let the heat out but
water in. It needs the suns heat to warm
up.
A tuatara grows more quickly in the summer than in the
winter because they eat more food.
Tuatara do not have to eat all the time.
They can survive without food for months.
By Mischa
How Tuatara Uses the
Sun’s Energy
Tuatara find a warm place after they have had a big feast
and use the sun to help digest their food.
Animals that are cold blooded do not eat as much in winter as they do in
summer. A tuatara will grow more slowly
in summer. This is because it is eating
less food.
By Huia
