Tuatara are reptiles and, although lizard-like in appearance, they are not actually lizards. They are the
only surviving members of the unique reptile group known as Sphenodontia, which are believed to have been around at the same time as the dinosaurs.
The tuatara is a reptile.
Tuatara
The Tuatara, a lizardlike reptile that lives only in New Zealand, has those three "eyes". It belongs to a group of reptiles that once included many other creatures, but today, the Tuatara is the only surviving member of that group.
A tuatara is a fully terrestrial animal, so a typical tuatara cannot swim.
Turtle and a tuatara.
Tuatara
Tuatara
Tuatara
The Tuatara has three eyes and it lives in New Zealand
The tuatara is a kind of reptile of which there are only two species, both found in New Zealand. Although the tuatara looks like a lizard it is not. Rather, it is the last surviving member of the order Rhynchocephalia.
Looking at their evolutionary history, the tuatara belongs to broad group of reptiles called lepidosaurs, which they share with lizards and snakes. Dinosaurs belong to a different group called archosaurs, which they share with crocodiles and alligators.
Tuatara are carnicires, so their food consists of animal proteins. They feed on insects such as weta, beetles, spiders and larger prey such as lizards, smaller tuatara, birds' eggs and chicks, and even seabirds on occasion.