Illustration of tuatara
tuatara
noun
tu·a·ta·ra
ˌtü-ə-ˈtär-ə 
plural tuatara or tuataras
: a large spiny quadrupedal reptile (Sphenodon punctatus) of islands off the coast of New Zealand that has a vestigial third eye in the middle of the forehead representing the pineal gland and that is the only surviving rhynchocephalian
Examples of tuatara in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The tuataras, a New Zealand reptile, can live to be 100, as can a crocodile.
—
B. R. Cohen,
Longreads,
13 Jan. 2026
Predators introduced by waves of human settlers have eliminated tuatara in much of their original habitat, which once spanned all of mainland New Zealand.
—
Elizabeth Preston,
Scientific American,
16 Dec. 2025
The animal turned out to be a lepidosaur – a member of the reptile group that today includes lizards, snakes and New Zealand's native tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus), and which has since diversified into more than 12,000 living species.
—
New Atlas,
15 Sep. 2025
Lizards, snakes, and the tuatara (collectively known as lepidosaurs) boast over 12,000 species, outnumbering both birds and mammals.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
The audio recordings used in the research document the tuatara’s distinctive crackly vocalizations.
—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN,
13 Nov. 2022
Fossils of small creatures have been filling in what the world of the Morrison Formation was really like, including a new fossil reptile with ties to the modern tuatara.
—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
15 Sep. 2022
Similar in appearance to a stout, stocky iguana, this species — commonly called a tuatara — forms one of the only avenues for scientists to study the winnowing down of the rhynchocephalians.
—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
15 Sep. 2022
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B. R. Cohen,
Longreads,
13 Jan. 2026
Predators introduced by waves of human settlers have eliminated tuatara in much of their original habitat, which once spanned all of mainland New Zealand.
—
Elizabeth Preston,
Scientific American,
16 Dec. 2025
The animal turned out to be a lepidosaur – a member of the reptile group that today includes lizards, snakes and New Zealand's native tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus), and which has since diversified into more than 12,000 living species.
—
New Atlas,
15 Sep. 2025
Lizards, snakes, and the tuatara (collectively known as lepidosaurs) boast over 12,000 species, outnumbering both birds and mammals.
—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
The audio recordings used in the research document the tuatara’s distinctive crackly vocalizations.
—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN,
13 Nov. 2022
Fossils of small creatures have been filling in what the world of the Morrison Formation was really like, including a new fossil reptile with ties to the modern tuatara.
—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
15 Sep. 2022
Similar in appearance to a stout, stocky iguana, this species — commonly called a tuatara — forms one of the only avenues for scientists to study the winnowing down of the rhynchocephalians.
—
Sam Walters,
Discover Magazine,
15 Sep. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Tuatara.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tuatara. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tuatara
noun
tu·a·ta·ra
ˌtü-ə-ˈtär-ə
: a large spiny reptile of the islands off the coast of New Zealand that looks like a lizard
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