tuatara

American  

[too-uh-tahr-uh] / ˌtu əˈtɑr ə /

Also tuatera

noun

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

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tuatara British  

/ 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

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Etymology

Origin of tuatara

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tuatara

Although many living species share flexible skulls and other advanced traits, only the tuatara still retains a complete lower temporal bar, giving it a more ancestral appearance.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 30, 2025

Starring Adam Sandler as a seen-it-all septuagenarian tuatara, the film is a multigenerational "Saturday Night Live" reunion of sorts, with Cecily Strong, Rob Schneider and Heidi Gardner also lending their voices.

From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2023

Yet throughout her career, she encountered “quite definitive statements” by much of the scientific establishment that tuatara do not vocalize.

From Scientific American ● Oct. 25, 2022

The creatures included 50 turtles, a tuatara, a lungfish and a caecilian.

From BBC ● Oct. 25, 2022

Russell Pickett, the billionaire chairman and founder of Pickett Engineering, shocked the black-tie audience at last night’s Indianapolis Prize by announcing that his entire estate would be left to his pet tuatara.

From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green