Tuatara (Sphenodonta)
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Glasgow Museums has a collection of three specimens of tuatara (Sphenodonta) dating from the 1890s, one mounted and two preserved in spirit. This collection contains specimens of the species Sphenodon punctatus. These specimens come from islands off the coast of New Zealand, the location to which the tuatara is restricted. The tuatara has been classified as an endangered species and has been legally protected from unauthorised collection since 1895. The specimens in this collection were collected prior to this legislation. Tuatara are reptiles that bare a striking resemblance to lizards, which, along snakes, are their closest living relatives. There are now only two surviving species of tuatara – Sphenodon punctatus and, recognized in 1989, Sphenodon guntheri. The tuatara represent the Sphenodonts, an ancient and primitive group of reptiles that flourished 200 million years ago.
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