The tuatara (Sphendon punctatus) is a spectacular reptile that only lives in New Zealand. Often called the living dinosaur, the tuatara has resisted both extinction and change. The tuatara is the only survivor of the reptilian order Sphehodontia. Evolutionary biologists believe that it lived together with early dinosaurs in the Upper Triassic some 200 million years ago.

Recently, researchers found an interesting detail about the tuatara. David Lambert and his colleagues at the Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution analysed DNA sequences they found in the bones of tuatara estimated to be 8000 years old.

They published their findings in the journal Trends in Genetics. As reported by EurekAlert and LiveScience, their discoveries were astounding: they found that the tuatara is the fastest evolving animal. “What we found was that the tuatara has the highest molecular evolutionary rate anyone has measured,” professor Lambert says according to EurekAlert. Lambert’s study suggests that the tuatara has been evolving faster that animals like the cave bear, lion, ox or horse.

So how can an animal that has shown no signs of change for aeons be changing faster than many others? Professor Lambert says, “the rate of molecular evolution was uncoupled from the rate of morphological evolution.” In other words, inner change or change at the molecular level does not correspond to what we see on the outside.

Yet evolutionary theory predicted that slow change or no change would have corresponded to slow change or no change at the molecular level. Far from supporting the neo-Darwinian theory of molecules-to-man evolution, the “living dinosaur” shows that there are grave problems with the view.

Like other living fossils such as the crocodile, army ant, cockroach, Coelacanth and horseshoe crab, the tuatara is evidence for resistance to the type of change that Darwinian evolution desperately needs.

Some animal species have a history of incredible change. The dog (Canis lupus familiaris), which according to Linnean classification belongs to the same species as the gray wolf (Canis lupus), is capable of an enormous amount of variety, brought about by artificial selection. But this is not the kind of change that evolution in its neo-Darwinian sense requires.

And neither is the variety evident in the DNA of a reptile that has resisted change for a very long time.

According to studies from complete skeletons, the Brachiosaurus is the largest or heaviest and tallest dinosaur. They are about 40 feet tall and approximately 70 to 80 tons in weight. Further studies about other dinosaurs like the Seismosaurus, Supersaurus, Ultrasaurus and Argentinosaurus are suggesting that the Brachiosaurus is not really the largest dinosaur. However, merely partial skeletons of these dinosaurs were discovered, making scientists uncertain if these are new species or they are also larger Brachiosaurus.

If scientists will just base their calculations on fossil records, the age of dinosaurs cannot be guaranteed. Although there were studies on their teeth’s growth rings, these were constantly replaced throughout the dinosaur’s lifespan. Thus, when compared to modern large mammals and reptiles, scientists estimated that dinosaurs could have lived for about 50 up to 150 years.

Paleontologists noted that the smallest dinosaur was the Compsognathus. It is even about the same size as a chicken. An adult Compsognathus can reach 2 feet in length, more attributed to its thin, long tail. The Troodon had the largest brain out of all the species. This is in relation to its actual body size. This is why they are thought as the most intelligent amongst other dinosaurs. In fact, most paleontologists regard them as smarter than an ostrich, making it smarter than any living reptile on Earth now.

Contrary to belief that the toughest dinosaur was the Tyrannosaurus Rex, it is the Deinonychus. This is because the T-Rex is more like a scavenger than a ferocious hunter. This made the Deinonychus the meanest ad toughest dinosaur. It is merely 2.7 meter long, 1.5 meters tall and it weighs just like an average man. Despite their small size, they are noted as “the most extraordinary predators of all time”. Due to its large serrated teeth, keen eyesight, great agility, grasping hands and sickle-shaped 5-inch long claws on every hind’s foot, this dinosaur variety is a very ferocious enemy.

Despite the size of dinosaurs, their eggs are quite small. In fact, the gigantic Sauropod’s eggs are no bigger than volleyballs. One reason is the fact that a bigger egg entails thicker shells so that it will not collapse. A very thick shell can actually pose 2 big problems. The 1st problem is that it is too thick for the oxygen to permeate. This means, the embryos will not be able to breathe. The 2nd problem would be the fact that the shell will be too thick to be pushed by the hatchlings.

The Galliminus which can travel about 35 mi per hour is considered as the fastest dinosaur. The Coelophysis ranks second at an estimated 25 mi per hour. The third in ranking is the T-Rex at 15 mi per hour. The Ancient Wing or the Archaeopteryx is a small creature with feathers. It is similar to a chicken but it can fly. It is actually the 1st known bird, showcasing how birds are descendants of dinosaurs. At current, paleontologists and scientists note that there are about 440 types of dinosaurs that existed. Even if no one actually heard the voice of a dinosaur, many scientists guess that the T-Rex had a raspy and deep voice, the Hadrisaur had a voice like a honking 5-ton goose and the Apatosaurus had a voice similar to a herd of snorting horses.