Name
Rhynchocephalia
tuatara or rhynchocephalians
Framing
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Rhynchocephalia
Habitat
Cold (unusual for a reptile) and humid areas. It rests in underground cavities and galleries.
Feeding
Predatory. Its diet consists of insects, snails, lizards, eggs and young birds.
Distribution
New Zealand
Conservation status
Of the only two extant species, one is considered Vulnerable (VU) and the other Least Concern (LC).
Additional information
Free life. Solitary. Iguana-like appearance. With large head and dorsal crest. Upper premaxillary prolonged downwards forming a kind of beak.
Additional information
Bibliography
- Cree, A., Thompson , M. & Daugherty, C. (1995). Tuatara sex determination. Nature 375, 543. https://doi.org/10.1038/375543a0
- Crook I.G. (1975) The Tuatara. En: Biogeography and Ecology in New Zealand. Kuschel G. (eds), Monographiae Biologicae, vol 27. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-1941-5_8
- Evans, S.E. (2003). At the feet of the dinosaurs: the early history and radiation of lizards. Biological Reviews, 78, 513-551.
- Jones, M.E.H. (2008). Skull shape and feeding strategy in Sphenodon and other Rhynchocephalia (Diapsida: Lepidosauria). Jourrnal of Morphology, 269, 945-966.