Tuatara

Sphenodon punctatus · The tuatara is a spiny, lizard-like reptile found only in New Zealand, where it is the sole surviving member of an ancient order.

Also called Beak-head, Brothers Island tuatara, Cook Strait tuatara.

Tuatara
Photo: Michal Klajban, CC BY-SA 4.0
Tuatara
Photo: Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0
Tuatara
Photo: Pseudopanax at English Wikipedia, Public domain

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderRhynchocephalia
FamilySphenodontidae
GenusSphenodon
SpeciesSphenodon punctatus

Where it lives

Predator-free offshore islands of New Zealand and fenced mainland sanctuaries.

Fun facts

  • Baby tuatara have a third eye on top of their head, but after four to six months it gets covered by opaque scales and pigment.
  • Tuatara can hear even though they have no external ear.
  • Tuatara eggs hatch as males or females depending on temperature: at 18 °C all hatchlings will be female, and at 22 °C 80% are likely to be male.
  • A male tuatara named Henry became a father at age 111 with an 80-year-old female.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).