Tuatara

Tuatara; Temporal range: Miocene – present, 19–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
	Male northren tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus punctatus)
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kinrick:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Order:	Rhynchocephalia
Faimily:	Sphenodontidae
Genus:	Sphenodon; Gray, 1831 (conserved name)
Teep species
	Hatteria punctata; Gray, 1842
Speshies
	S. punctatus ; (Gray, 1842) (conserved name); S. guntheri ; Buller, 1877; †S. diversum ; Colenso, 1885;
	Native range (New Zealand)
	Current distribution o tuatara (in black): Circles represent the North Island tuatara, an squares the Brothers Island tuatara. Seembols mey represent up tae seiven islands.
Synonyms
	Sphaenodon ; Gray, 1831 (rejected name); Hatteria ; Gray, 1842 (rejectit name); Rhynchocephalus ; Owen, 1845 (rejectit name);

Tuatara are reptiles endemic tae New Zealand. Aetho resemblin maist lizards, thay are pairt o a distinct lineage, the order Rhynchocephalia.^[6]

References

↑ "Sphenodon Gray 1831 (rhynchocephalian)". PBDB.
↑ Australasian Reptile & Amphibian Specialist Group (1996). Sphenodon punctatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T20613A9214781.en
↑ Daugherty C. H.; Cree A.; Hay J. M.; Thompson M. B. (1990). "Neglected taxonomy and continuing extinctions of tuatara (Sphenodon)". Nature. 347 (6289): 177–179. Bibcode:1990Natur.347..177D. doi:10.1038/347177a0.
↑ Gaze, Peter (2001). Tuatara recovery plan 2001–2011 (PDF). Threatened Species Recovery Plan 47. Biodiversity Recovery Unit, Department of Conservation, Government of New Zealand. ISBN 978-0-478-22131-2. Archived frae the original (PDF) on 5 November 2011. Retrieved 2 Juin 2007. Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (help)
↑ Beston, Anne (25 October 2003). "New Zealand Herald: Tuatara Release" (PDF). Archived frae the original (PDF) on 4 October 2007. Retrieved 11 September 2007. Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (help) Archived 2007-10-04 at the Wayback Machine
↑ "Tuatara". New Zealand Ecology: Living Fossils. TerraNature Trust. 2004. Retrieved 10 November 2006.