Illustration of tuatara
tuatara
noun
tu·a·ta·ra
ˌtü-ə-ˈtär-ə 
plural tuatara or tuataras
: a large spiny quadrupedal reptile (Sphenodon punctatus) of islands off the coast of New Zealand that has a vestigial third eye in the middle of the forehead representing the pineal gland and that is the only surviving rhynchocephalian
Examples of tuatara in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Similar in appearance to a stout, stocky iguana, this species — commonly called a tuatara — forms one of the only avenues for scientists to study the winnowing down of the rhynchocephalians.
—
Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
The rendering also revealed that the rhynchocephalian species looked surprisingly similar to the surviving tuatara, despite being around five times smaller.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
The audio recordings used in the research document the tuatara’s distinctive crackly vocalizations.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN, 13 Nov. 2022
Fossils of small creatures have been filling in what the world of the Morrison Formation was really like, including a new fossil reptile with ties to the modern tuatara.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
Many different tuatara relatives existed alongside each other during the time the Morrison Formation was being formed.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
The aging rates for lizards and snakes were scattered but were remarkably low in certain crocodiles, salamanders and the enigmatic tuatara.
—New York Times, 23 June 2022
In addition to turtles and crocodiles, reptiles in the study included lizards, snakes and tuatara, the only living member of a lineage that evolved in the Triassic period approximately 200 to 250 million years ago.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2022
Also, Barbara’s (Sheryl Lee Ralph) favorite zoo animal, a tuatara, has been retired because of old age in the season finale of the workplace comedy.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2022
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Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
The rendering also revealed that the rhynchocephalian species looked surprisingly similar to the surviving tuatara, despite being around five times smaller.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
The audio recordings used in the research document the tuatara’s distinctive crackly vocalizations.
—Zoe Sottile, CNN, 13 Nov. 2022
Fossils of small creatures have been filling in what the world of the Morrison Formation was really like, including a new fossil reptile with ties to the modern tuatara.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
Many different tuatara relatives existed alongside each other during the time the Morrison Formation was being formed.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
The aging rates for lizards and snakes were scattered but were remarkably low in certain crocodiles, salamanders and the enigmatic tuatara.
—New York Times, 23 June 2022
In addition to turtles and crocodiles, reptiles in the study included lizards, snakes and tuatara, the only living member of a lineage that evolved in the Triassic period approximately 200 to 250 million years ago.
—Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 27 Apr. 2022
Also, Barbara’s (Sheryl Lee Ralph) favorite zoo animal, a tuatara, has been retired because of old age in the season finale of the workplace comedy.
—Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2022
Dictionary Entries Near tuatara
Cite this Entry
“Tuatara.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tuatara. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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tuatara
noun
tu·a·ta·ra
ˌtü-ə-ˈtär-ə
: a large spiny reptile of the islands off the coast of New Zealand that looks like a lizard
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