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Tuatara eating a fairy prion, a small bird of New Zealand [Copyright: Dr. Paddy Ryan, Ryan Photographic]
What are Tuatara?
Tuatara are members of the taxon Rhynchocephalia and are most closely related to squamates (i.e., amphisbaenians, lizards, and snakes). Like squamates, tuatara are elongate and shed skin in large fragments. Unlike squamates, tuatara lack paired hemipenes (male copulatory organs).
The common name "tuatara" comes from Maori words meaning "spines on back," in reference to the crest on the backs of males and females. Tuatara have a lizard-like appearance: both groups are elongate with four limbs (most lizards) and both lizards and tuatara are known to shed their tails (caudal autotomy). The groups diverge, however, on the presence or lack of a paired hemipenes, the morphology of the teeth and skull, and other important features. Tuatara are long-lived species, reaching sexual maturity at about 20 years. Two species of tuatara, Sphenodon guntheri and Sphenodon punctatus, are located in New Zealand, and are the only species known to exist.
Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) [Copyright: Dr. Paddy Ryan, Ryan Photographic]
Tuatara Sphenodon punctatus
Description:Grey, olive, or reddish skin. Mass ranges from 0.40 to 1 kg (0.88 to 2.2 lbs). Male tuataras have a crest at the back of the neck, and another crest in the middle of the back. Tuatara can live for over 100 years.
Habitat:Cold and damp, with temperatures typically approaching freezing and humidity about 80 percent. Island homes are cliff-bound and often subjected to strong winds.
Distribution:Islands off the coast of New Zealand.
Status:Strong legal protection under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna)