Explore Tuatara through 10+ example sentences from English, with an explanation of the meaning and related words like diapsid. Ideal for language learners, writers and word enthusiasts.
Tuatara meaning
A reptile, Sphenodon punctatus, native to New Zealand, that resembles a lizard and is the only surviving specimen of the order Rhynchocephalia.
Synonyms of Tuatara
Using Tuatara
- The main meaning on this page is: A reptile, Sphenodon punctatus, native to New Zealand, that resembles a lizard and is the only surviving specimen of the order Rhynchocephalia.
- Useful related words include: sphenodon punctatum, diapsid, diapsid reptile.
- In the example corpus, tuatara often appears in combinations such as: the tuatara, island tuatara, tuatara and.
Context around Tuatara
- Average sentence length in these examples: 23.2 words
- Position in the sentence: 10 start, 7 middle, 3 end
- Sentence types: 20 statements, 0 questions, 0 exclamations
Corpus analysis for Tuatara
- In this selection, "tuatara" usually appears near the start of the sentence. The average example has 23.2 words, and this corpus slice is mostly made up of statements.
- Around the word, island, captive, citation, probably, near and sphenodon stand out and add context to how "tuatara" is used.
- Recognizable usage signals include brothers island tuatara and determination in tuatara is determined. That gives this page its own corpus information beyond isolated example sentences.
- By corpus frequency, "tuatara" sits close to words such as abra, accies and accommodative, which helps place it inside the broader word index.
Example types with tuatara
The same corpus examples are grouped by length and sentence type, making it easier to see the contexts in which the word appears:
Several tuatara breeding programmes are active within New Zealand. (9 words)
Institutions that keep live tuatara This is a good article. (10 words)
The tuatara has a well-developed parietal eye on its forehead. (11 words)
Description Size comparison of male S. punctatus and human The tuatara is considered the most unspecialised living amniote ; the brain and mode of locomotion resemble those of amphibians and the heart is more primitive than that of any other reptile. (40 words)
Some evidence indicates sex determination in tuatara is determined by both genetic and environmental factors. citation Tuatara probably have the slowest growth rates of any reptile, continuing to grow larger for the first 35 years of their lives. (38 words)
Some experts believe that captive tuatara could live as long as 200 years. citation Conservation Current distribution of tuatara (in black): citation citation citation Circles represent the North Island tuatara, and squares the Brothers Island tuatara. (36 words)
Example sentences (20)
Some experts believe that captive tuatara could live as long as 200 years. citation Conservation Current distribution of tuatara (in black): citation citation citation Circles represent the North Island tuatara, and squares the Brothers Island tuatara.
Some evidence indicates sex determination in tuatara is determined by both genetic and environmental factors. citation Tuatara probably have the slowest growth rates of any reptile, continuing to grow larger for the first 35 years of their lives.
Sandler stars as the voice of Leo, a tuatara who has lived as a fifth-grade classroom pet for 74 years.
Baseball: Kansas City Royals prospect Brandon Marklund returns to Auckland TuataraWhen Brandon Marklund joined the Auckland Tuatara for their inaugural season in 2018, he was an unknown prospect fresh out of the collegiate system.
A 2009 paper re-examined the genetic bases used to distinguish the two species of tuatara, and concluded they only represent geographic variants, and only one species should be recognized.
Brother's Island tuatara are slightly smaller, weighing up to 660 g (1.3 lb).
Description Size comparison of male S. punctatus and human The tuatara is considered the most unspecialised living amniote ; the brain and mode of locomotion resemble those of amphibians and the heart is more primitive than that of any other reptile.
However, kiore ( Polynesian rats ) had recently become established on several of the islands, and tuatara were persisting, but not breeding, on these islands.
Institutions that keep live tuatara This is a good article.
In the 1991–92 season, Little Barrier Island was found to hold only eight tuatara, which were taken into in situ captivity, where females produced 42 eggs, which were incubated at Victoria University.
Many disparately related species were subsequently added to the Rhynchocephalia, resulting in what taxonomists call a " wastebasket taxon ". citation Williston proposed the Sphenodontia to include only tuatara and their closest fossil relatives in 1925.
Māori women would sometimes tattoo images of lizards, some of which may represent tuatara, near their genitals.
Northern tuatara Sphenodon punctatus naturally occurs on 29 islands, and its population is estimated to be over 60,000 individuals.
Of all extant tetrapods, the parietal eye is most pronounced in the tuatara.
Several tuatara breeding programmes are active within New Zealand.
Squamates and tuatara both show caudal autotomy (loss of the tail-tip when threatened), and have transverse cloacal slits.
The Brother's Island tuatara (S. guntheri ) has olive brown skin with yellowish patches, while the colour of the other species, (S.
The spiny crest on a tuatara's back, made of triangular, soft folds of skin, is larger in males, and can be stiffened for display.
The tuatara has a well-developed parietal eye on its forehead.
The tuatara is the only living tetrapod with well-developed gastralia and uncinate processes.
Common combinations with tuatara
These word pairs occur most frequently in English texts:
- the tuatara 5×
- island tuatara 4×
- tuatara and 4×
- of tuatara 3×
- tuatara is 3×
- tuatara are 2×
- and tuatara 2×