Noun: tuatara ,too-u'taa-ru
- Only extant member of the order Rhynchocephalia of large spiny lizard-like diapsid reptiles of coastal islands off New Zealand
"The tuatara is often called a 'living fossil' due to its ancient lineage";
- Sphenodon punctatus
Derived forms: tuataras
Type of: diapsid, diapsid reptile
Part of: genus Sphenodon, Sphenodon
Encyclopedia: Tuatara