Activity of the tuatara and its relationships to weather conditions on Stephens Island, Cook Strait, with observations on geckos and invertebrates

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Abstract
The effects of weather on the aboveground, largely nocturnal activity of the tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus, on Stephens Island were investigated between May 1974 and April 1975. The nocturnal geckos Hoplodactylus maculatus and H. stephensi and conspicuous invertebrates were studied at the same time, though in less detail. As expected for an ectotherm, the tuatara is primarily influenced by environmental temperature, although other weather variables have an effect. There is a complex interplay of current and recent past weather conditions, habitat, season, the occurrence of seabirds, and the age and sex of the animals observed. The effects of climate can be masked by other factors. The patterns of nocturnal emergence of the tuatara appear to be well adapted to those of its primary prey (large invertebrates), and extraordinarily similar also to those of the geckos, though these behave differently. Contrary to popular opinion, the tuatara does not hibernate.