India, June 7 -- T hese odd creatures (the only survivors of the ancient and diverse order Rhynchocephalia) have jaws that slide back and forth, a third eye on the tops of their heads, and barely breathe, sometimes taking just one breath in 70 minutes. They can live for more than a century, thrive in cold climates, and are found only in New Zealand. The third eye is believed to regulate circadian rhythms and help absorb UV rays. As they age, it falls out of use and becomes covered by scales. They look like reptiles but aren't reptiles. They are, in fact, a strange pastiche of attributes. A 2020 study by Neil J Gemmel of the University of Otago, New Zealand (published in the journal Nature), found that their longevity is aided by a genome th...