It took 20 years, but Henry, a New Zealand lizard best known for being a “grumpy old man” has proven it really is never too late to get back your mojo by becoming a father for the first time at 111.

Henry – formerly known for his aggression and lack of interest in sex – was the loner of the tuatara enclosure until he had operation for a cancer on his bottom last year. A renewed reptile, he paired up with Mildred and they successfully hatched 11 babies in late January.

Henry now lives “in great harmony” with a harem of three females, and there are hopes his contribution to genetic diversity will be repeated again soon. NZ tuatara are “living dinosaurs” with ancestry going back 220 million years now mainly confined to off shore islands and protected enclosures.

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