tuatara

[ too-uh-tahr-uh ]

noun

1. a large, primarily nocturnal, lizardlike reptile, Sphenodon punctatum, of islands near the coast of New Zealand: the only surviving rhynchocephalian.

tuatara

/ ˌtuːəˈtɑːrə /

noun

1. a greenish-grey lizard-like rhynchocephalian reptile, Sphenodon punctatus , occurring only on certain small islands near New Zealand: it is the sole surviving member of a group common in Mesozoic times

Word History and Origins

Origin of tuatara¹

1810–20; < Maori, equivalent to tua dorsal + tara spine

Word History and Origins

Origin of tuatara¹

C19: from Māori, from tua back + tara spine

Example Sentences

“The tuatara has the most complicated mitochondrial genome I’ve ever seen,” Macey says.

From Science News

The double mitochondrial genome might give tuatara flexibility in how their metabolisms respond to temperature extremes, the scientists say.

From Science News

In 2012, Neil Gemmell, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, and an international team of researchers began to assemble the tuatara genome, in close partnership with the Indigenous Ngātiwai people.

From Science News

The Ngātiwai are considered kaitiaki, or guardians, of the tuatara and were intimately involved in decisions regarding the use of genetic data from the project.

From Science News

The only reptiles in New Zealand are lizards, and a lizard-like animal called Tuatara.

From Project Gutenberg