| Brief Description |
Unique to New Zealand, the tuatara is the only surviving species in the reptile order Rhynchocephalia, the sister group to all snakes and lizards. It is a reptile, but not a lizard. Tuatara were once common throughout New Zealand, but survive today only on offshore islands and wildlife sanctuaries. They have very slow metabolisms, two rows of teeth in the upper jaw, and no penis.
This tuatara came from John Boyd's private zoo, Aramoho Zoo, which he ran from 1910 to 1916. It probably originally came from Stephens Island. It has been mounted but packed too tightly with stuffing, giving it a bloated appearance common in mounted loose-skinned reptiles.
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