9 Mar 2019

Dr Helen Taylor - Tuatara sperm caught on camera

From Saturday Morning, 10:40 am on 9 March 2019

Dr. Helen Taylor received her PhD from Victoria University and has research interests that span conservation genetics, ecology, behaviour and reproductive biology. She currently works in the University of Otago's Gemmell Lab, in a team researching the intersection of genomics with ecology, population, conservation and evolutionary biology.  As part of pioneering research into the tuatara on Takapourewa/Stephens Island, home to the country's largest tuatara population, this week, Dr Taylor and her team managed to capture the reptiles' sperm on camera for the first time  - a finding that could greatly improve our knowledge of reproduction in this unique reptile, and aid conservation management of this important taonga.Dr Taylor has just announced she will be going back to work for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland as a conservation program manager shortly - but will continue to monitor the tuatara sperm project remotely.

Sexy time for the tuatara