Question

The tuatara is a lizard-like reptile found only in New Zealand today, the last surviving lineage of a large group of reptiles that were contemporaries of the dinosaurs. What traits would you expect the tuatara to possess?

Answer 1

Answer: The tuatara is a lizard-like reptile found only in New Zealand today, the last surviving lineage of a large group of reptiles that were contemporaries of the dinosaurs.

The traits that would i expect the tuatara to possess are:

• Spiny back similar to that of dinosaurs.

• A well developed pineal eye.

• It lacks a copulatory organ.

• Spine-like vertebrae with intercenters.

• Anterior teeth, large and very sharp.

Explanation:

Living fossil is an expression used to qualify non-extinct species that are extremely similar to species identified only through fossils.

A pineal eye is a part of the epithalamus present in some animal species. The eye can be a photoreceptor and is commonly associated with the pineal gland, regulating the circadian rhythm and hormonal production for thermoregulation. The tuatara has a developed parietal eye, with retina and lens.