Description

Similar species

Range

Found on approximately 30 small, relatively inaccesible, islands off the coast of New Zealand. The species was once widely distributed throughout New Zealand, but became extinct on the mainland before the arrival of European settlers.

Found in the following Australian states/territories

New Zealand

Habitat

Natural history

Diet

Eats arthropods (including wetas), earthworms, snails, bird eggs, small birds, frogs and lizards. Young tuataras are also occassionally cannibalized. Due to its low metabolic rate, the tuatara eats much less frequently than other reptiles.

Conservation status

This species does not appear to be listed as of conservation concern.

General threats

General threats to reptiles, and indeed all native wildlife, include:

• habitat loss from land clearing - it is estimated that between 1997 and 1999 in Queensland, 89 million reptiles were killed each year due to land clearing (Cogger et al. 2003) Impacts of Land Clearing on Australian Wildlife in Queensland.
• habitat degradation by introduced species such as cattle and rabbits - do your bit: eat roo not beef!
• habitat modification caused by global climate change
• death on roads
• feral predators such as dogs, cats, pigs and foxes
• the introduced cane toad
• emerging diseases

Note: these are general threats and may not apply to this particular species.

How you can help

There are many ways you can help our reptiles. Here are my top three suggestions:

1. donate to a habitat restoration organisation
2. ensure your carbon footprint is as small as possible
3. donate to another habitat restoration organisation

References

 

Additional links

Note: the links below are automatically generated. Some may not take you to useful information.

• Google searches - web | images | scholar
• Search The University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web
• Search Wikipedia for Sphenodon punctatus
• Northern tuatara at The TIGR Reptile Database