Probably through isolation, and adaptation to an unusually cool environment. No one can be entirely certain, of course, this question has no factual answer...we can only give opinions.
The Tuatara are an endemic species of lizard found exclusively in New Zealand. Their body colouration is greenish-brown and grey. They grow to an adult length of around 31 inches (80 cm) from head to tail-tip, and can weigh up to 3lbs (1.3 kg).
See the related link to Wikipedia's excellent article on the species.
Absolutely not it is a "Sphenodantia" a living fossel
The tuatara is only found in New Zealand and is in danger of becoming extinct!
It is a reptile but not a lizard.
It is the last remaining member of the ancient group of reptiles, Sphenodontia.
Tuatara is a Maori word meaning "peaks on the back". It is easy to see why.
The tuatara is famous because it is a very ancient - it is the only survivor of a large group of reptiles that roamed the earth at the same time as dinosaurs. It hasn't changed its form much in over 225 million years! The relatives of tuatara died out about 60 million years ago which is why the tuatara is sometimes called a 'living fossil' - cool.
You might have thought tuatara are lizards…but they're not.
But like lizards, if they lose their tails they are able to regrow them - excellent!
What's this about a 'third eye' ??
The 'third eye' is visible under young tuatara's skin and becomes covered with scales after four to six months. The 'third eye' soaks up UV (ultra violet) rays in the first few months of the tuatara's life. The young tuatara get Vitamin D from the UV rays, which helps them grow into healthy adult tuatara.
Tuatara History…
People used to think that the tuatara was a lizard. But in 1867, Dr Albert Gunther, the curator at the British Museum in London examined a bottled tuatara specimen and said 'It's not a lizard!' Gunther linked it to the group of reptiles called Rhynchocephalia, thought to be long extinct land-based reptiles (Rhynchocephalia is now known as Sphenodontia).
In 1989 Dr Charles Daugherty, a professor at Victoria University in Wellington, discovered that there were two species of tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus and Sphenodon guntheri.
Know your tuatara
The most common species is known simply as tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus, Cook Strait tuatara). There are around 50,000 of them living on Stephen's Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Some more live on the Trios Group of Islands also in the Marlborough Sounds.
The only named sub-species of Sphenodon punctatus is Sphenodon punctatus punctatus, Northern tuatara. There is a small population living on Little Barrier Island, the rest are spread over 24 islands in the Hauraki Gulf, off Northland, the Coromandel Peninsula and the Bay of Plenty.
There are only about 400 adults of the second species Sphenodon guntheri, Brother's Island tuatara (known as Gunther's or Brothers tuatara). They are slightly smaller than the other tuatara and live in a patch of scrub on the top of tiny North Brother Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Although they are fairly safe at present, they are always at risk from rats coming onto the island, from fires and from poaching.
The male tuatara grows to an average length of 60cm, weighs around 1kg and has an obvious crest of spines along its back. The female tuatara is smaller; they grow to an average length of 50cm and weigh about 550grams. The female's crest of spines is not as prominent as the male's.
Having babies is a slow process…
Tuatara reach sexual maturity between 15 and 20 years.
Like many other endangered species in New Zealand, a slow breeding cycle has not enabled the tuatara population to keep up with the death rate caused by predators and people. Learn how people are helping the tuatara on the Tuatara Conservation page.
Tuatara are interesting - and a bit weird…
The scientific name for cold-blooded is 'poikilothermic'
Scientists at Victoria University of Wellington have been breeding tuatara in captivity and have made an interesting discovery… Tuatara incubated at 21° C had a 50/50 chance of being born male or female, but at 22° C, 80% were likely to be males. At 20° C, 80% were likely to be females. At 18° C all tuatara hatched were female - what a cool discovery!
WOW - the tuatara is an amazing creature!
And New Zealand is the only place in the whole world where it can be found in the wild.
It's great that scientists have learnt so much about the tuatara. It means everyone can help it to survive and not become extinct.
But the tuatara could become extinct if people do not protect it and look after the tuatara populations on our offshore islands and mainland sanctuaries … learn about Tuatara Conservation
This page was updated on 20 March, 2009
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Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) are reptiles that look like lizards but, often called living fossils, they are actually a different type of reptile that dates back to prehistoric periods over 200 million years ago. They eat insects like crickets, moths, beetles, and grasshoppers that they catch using their sticky fat tongues, and their diet also consists of other invertebrates like worms and snails. Additional foods in the Tuatara's diet are lizards, eggs, baby birds and smaller tuatara. They hatch from leathery-skinned eggs, and can grow to around 2 - 3 feet long (80 cm). The larger ones sometimes eat larger seabirds like petrels.
These nocturnal reptiles live on the islands off New Zealand, in burrows that they may dig themselves, but often take over from the burrowing petrels. They can have a lifespan as long as 60 years, and don't reach maturity until around 20 years old. Their numbers are reducing, and they are now considered vulnerable on the endangered species lists. They are preyed upon by rodents, pigs, and wild cats.
One of their most unique characteristics, besides their unique double row of teeth in the upper jaw, is their "third eye" called a pineal or parietal eye on top of their heads. Although this "eye" has a small lens and retina and is photoreceptive, it uses a different biochemical method of detecting light than normal vertebrates' rod cells or cone cells. The function is unknown and is under research. Tuatara have no external ears but are able to hear, and they retain some unusual features in their skeletons that may be evolutionary "left-overs" from fish.
the tuatra eats insects and birds.
The Tuatara's prey includes; beetles, crickets, and Spiders. Their diet also consists of frogs, lizards, bird's eggs and chicks.
Tuatara are very primitive lizards which can grow up to 2 feet or a bit longer. They live on small animals and insects. They mature sexually in about twenty years and the females lay eggs every 4 years. They are thought to have a lifespan of about 50 - 60 years in the wild. One example, in captivity in In Invercargill, NZ is known to be over a 110 years old.
The tuatara is not a lizard. It is a lizard-like reptile, but it is not a lizard. Y also cannot buy one. The tuatara is an endangered and protected species, endemic to New Zealand.
Tuatara are reptiles of the order Sphenodontia. They are the only survivors of their order, which has existed since the time of the dinosaurs.
Tuatara are lizard-like reptiles endemic to New Zealand. They are not Maori, as Maori refers to the race of people who inhabited New Zealand long before European settlement.
However, the word 'tuatara' is a Maori word. It means 'peaks on the back', referring to the spiny protuberances.
Tuatara are terrestrial reptiles, living on land. They lay their eggs in burrows, find their food on land and shelter on land.
A tuatara is not a lizard, and it cannot be purchased. Though lizard-like in appearance, this reptile is not classified as a lizard. Being endangered, and now extinct on the New Zealand mainland, it is not available to be purchased to satisfy one's whim to have an unusual or exotic pet.
Spikes are a protective feature that has evolved over time to save them from predators.
Not enough information is known to tell the exact quantity of food which Tuataras consume on a daily basis but we do know what they consume. It seems to be that they are mainly insectivores and thus they would eat a large quantity of these to satisfy the daily requirement of survival. They do however also eat frogs, other lizards and the young offspring of birds.
One interesting fact to note is that there is evidence to suggest that Tuataras have a slower metabolic rate so this may influence how much they have to eat. However, as I said earlier, no study has been able to study Tuataras long enough and on a large enough sample to conclusively say how much food Tuataras eat.