What is Tuatar?

Tuatara is a unique endemic reptile on the northern tip of New Zealand. Although it is superficially similar to the lizard, Tuatar is Sphenodontian, sister laps squaches, reptile group, which includes both lizards and snakes. Sphenodontias were very successful about 200 million years ago, including many earthly forms and even water forms. At that time, Sphenodontias occupied many niches that today accept lizards. Tuatara is the only surviving sphenodontian.

Although it is sometimes called "living fossil", Tuatar has actually changed in the last 200 million years, including the development of adaptations for colder weather, the cornerstone. A wide survey of the speed of molecular development across various animal families revealed that Tuatar is one of the fastest developing species between studied groups. Like many reptiles, Taata retains a basic body plan similar to the body that dates back to the oldest reptiles living 315 million years ago, such as Hylonomus .

Tuatara is very interesting for those who study the development of reptiles and tetrapods in general. Of all the amniot is Tuatara among the least specialized. His locomotion is considered an amphibian and her heart is the most primitive of all amniot. Instead of different teeth that may fall out and grow back, the teeth of the Tuatars are direct projections from its jaw. When they wear, they cannot be replaced, so old Tuataras must switch to softer food like earthworms. Tuatara lacks an ear hole or ear bubracks, instead the middle ear is filled with sensory tissue. As a result, the animal depicts a bad hearing.

of all animals shows the best example of a parietal eye, a relic of the third eye on the top of the head, consisting of its own retina, cornea, lenses and degenerated nerves bundle to transfer its information to the brain. In hatchling, the parietal eye is clearly visible but between four to six mIt is covered with opaque scales and pigment. The function of the eye is unknown, but the newts have been shown that the parietal eye determines the polarization of light, allowing it to find the sun under extensive clouds.