Tuatara
| Tuatara Conservation status: Vulnerable |
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 Male tuatara
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The tuatara is a reptile of the family Sphenodontidae, endemic to New Zealand. The two species are the only surviving members of the Sphenodontians. The tuataras resemble lizards, but are equally related to lizards and snakes, which are their closest living relatives. For this reason, they are of great interest in the study of the evolution of lizards and snakes, and for the reconstruction of the appearance and habits of the earliest diapsids (the group that additionally includes birds and crocodiles).
The tuatara has been classified as an endangered species since 1895. Tuataras, like many of New Zealand's native animals, are threatened by habitat loss and introduced species, such as mustelids and rats. They were extinct on the mainland, with the remaining populations confined to 32 offshore islands,[1] until the first mainland release into the heavily fenced and monitored Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in 2005.
This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.
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