Ancient Reptile - Sphenodon punctatum

Sphenodon punctatum, the tuatara, is a unique type of reptile belonging to a group known as the Rhynchocephala. These reptiles were relatively abundant and diverse on earth some 225 million years ago in the Triassic, at the time of the origin of the dinosaurs. They had a global extent, and species that lived in the Triassic were very similar this tuatara. Tuataras, are rare and endangered. they survived only on small islands off the coast of the larger islands of New Zealand.