Tuatara

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Sphenodon punctatus

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Sphenodon guntheri

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The tuatara is a reptile, the only surviving member of Rhynchocephalia, or Sphenodontia/Sphenodontida (for more on this, see classification). Tuatara are endemic to New Zealand, and now live only on a small number of offshore islands. It has been classified as an endangered species since 1895. Tuatara, like many native

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New Zealand animals, are threatened by habitat loss, harvesting, and introduced species such as mustelids and rats.

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Endemic: Endemic, in a broad sense, can mean belonging or native to, characteristic of, or prevalent in a particular geography, race, field, area, or environment; Native to an area or scope....

Endangered species: :For other uses, see endangered species (disambiguation)....

1895: 1895 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar)....