Welcome to the Tuatara Page!
The Tuatara
Male Northern tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) cc Photo courtesy of Phillip C. from Wikipedia
The tuatara, from New Zealand, though resembling most lizards, is part of a distinct order called the Sphenodontia. There are two species of tuatara including Sphenodon punctatus and the much rarer Sphenodon guntheri, or Brothers Island tuatara. The Brothers Island tuatara only resides on the North Brother Island in Cook Strait. These two are the only surviving members of its order. Their closest relatives are the squamates (lizards and snakes).
Websites about the Tuatara
Live & HYBRID Course Videos - (to be viewed during the live class and watched for the HYBRID course lesson)
Informative Videos about the Tuatara
Guidelines: Watch the video clips below. In a journal, make a sketch of a tuatara. You can view photos from wikimedia commons photographs of tuataras. You can addionally add facts of interest from Wikimedia's article about the tuatara. Here are some questions to help you journal about the videos if you need.
- Why is the tuatara conservation work important?
- What is unique about the tuatara that makes it stand out by itself from the rest of the reptiles? Why isn't it included in the lizard and snake order?
- Why couldn't the conservationists in the first video put Henry's 11 young in the same space with their dad?
- Would you like to help with the work to breed and release the tuatara's? If so why or why not?
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