Established in 1964, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. Conservation Biology 9 (2): 373–383. We measured body temperatures of a free-ranging, medium sized temperate reptile, the tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus, to investigate its thermal opportunities and the degree to which the animal actively regulates its body temperature. Diet Insects, lizards, adult, chicks and eggs of local sea birds Hunting Adult S.punctatus tend to follow the technique of "sit and wait." Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus and S. guntheri) are the only living members of the Sphenodontida, an order of lizard-like reptiles that flourished during the Mesozoic (Fraser 1988). Neoendemics . nov., and the modernising of … ABSTRACT: The social behavior of tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus, was studied in a natural population on Stephens Island, New Zealand, from January to March, 1987-1989. That is they will sit and wait for their meal (an insect) to come by.
1986. 143: 45 - 47 Whiteside, DI.
The head skeleton of the Rhaetian sphenodontid Diphydontosaurus avonis gen. et sp. Study sites were located in both wooded (bush) and open (paddock) habitats. Sphenodon punctatus reischeki nov. subsp. Taxa that have evolved relatively recently and may be restricted in their distribution because they have not had yet time to disperse further. They are endemic to New Zealand and within the last 200 years have become extinct on the mainland following habitat changes and predation by humans and introduced mammals. Zool. Tuataras (Sphenodon punctatus and S. guntheri), endemic to New Zealand, are a good example of biogeographic relicts. Name: Tuatara (sphenodon punctatus) Habitat: Islands, scrubland Life span: Up to 91 years in captivity, possibly up to 100 years in the wild. Size: 20 to 31 inches (50 to 80 centimetres) long Population: estimated 50,000 to 10,000 across all islands Weight: 0.45 to 1.3 kg Hatchling size: 100mm long.
doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1739.1995.9020373.x . Reproduction of a rare New Zealand reptile, the tuatara Sphenodon punctatus, on rat-free and rat-inhabited islands. Anz. Habitat Forested areas and beaches. We found high variation in body temperature between individuals, but this variation could not be attributed to sex or body size.