tuataras
New Zealand reptiles
Tuataras are reptiles native to New Zealand that resemble lizards but belong to a distinct lineage dating back over 200 million years.
They are the sole surviving members of their order, making them living fossils of scientific interest.
Tuataras have a third eye on top of their head, visible only in juveniles, and can live over a century.
Cold-blooded scaled vertebrate
- ectothermOrganism heated externally
- third eyeMetaphysical perception organ
- nocturnalActive during darkness
- carnivoreCreature eating only animals
insectivore · longevity · slow metabolism · cold-tolerant · burrowing · cloaca · vertebrate · primitive
At risk of extinction
- protectedKept from harm
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- breeding programManaged reproduction for traits
- captivityState of being confined
Zealandia · wildlife reserve · habitat restoration · reintroduction · hatchling · species survival · monitoring · translocation
Organism unchanged since prehistory
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- MesozoicAge of Reptiles
- ancient lineageFamily line from antiquity
- relict speciesSpecies surviving past contemporaries
unchanged · Triassic · ancestral · phylogeny · divergence · sister group · archaic · temporal fenestra
Native to one area
- AotearoaIndigenous name for NZ
- MaoriNew Zealand's indigenous people
- indigenousOriginating in a region
- offshore islandsLand bodies near coasts
cultural significance · guardian · national treasure · native fauna · mana
reptile
Cold-blooded scaled vertebrate
- ectothermOrganism heated externally
- third eyeMetaphysical perception organ
- nocturnalActive during darkness
carnivore · insectivore · longevity · slow metabolism · cold-tolerant · burrowing · cloaca · vertebrate · primitive · basal
endangered
At risk of extinction
- protectedKept from harm
- sanctuaryProtected sacred space
- breeding programManaged reproduction for traits
captivity · Zealandia · wildlife reserve · habitat restoration · reintroduction · hatchling · species survival · monitoring · translocation · native species
living fossil
Organism unchanged since prehistory
- prehistoricBefore documented civilization
- MesozoicAge of Reptiles
- ancient lineageFamily line from antiquity
relict species · unchanged · Triassic · ancestral · phylogeny · divergence · sister group · archaic · temporal fenestra
endemic
Native to one area
- AotearoaIndigenous name for NZ
- MaoriNew Zealand's indigenous people
- indigenousOriginating in a region
offshore islands · cultural significance · guardian · national treasure · native fauna · mana
- reptileslizard, snake, turtle, crocodile, alligator
- island ecologyoceanic islands, endemic species, archipelago, archipelagos, atoll
- vertebratesmammals, mammal, birds, bird, reptiles