Coordinator: Barbara Blanchard

Description: Olive-green or slate-grey; finely speckled. Lizard like, but differs from New Zealand lizards in having a wedge shaped head with a prominent ridge running above each eye to the snout. Adults have a crest of soft spines along the mid-line of the head and body. The crest is more strongly developed in males and is raised during courtship displays. A firmer toothed ridge runs along the upper mid-line of the tail. No external ear opening.

Size: Males may reach 280mm SVL (610 mm total length) and weigh up to 1.3kg. Females are smaller and rarely exceed 500g.

Distribution: Formerly widespread throughout New Zealand. Now restricted to about 30 offshore islands in the Marlborough Sounds area and along the east coast of the North Island from Northland to Bay of Plenty.

Habitat: Coastal forest and clearings, especially where the ground has been tunnelled by nesting seabirds.

Habits: Nocturnal, but often sun-basks. Carnivorous, feeding on arthropods, lizards, and seabird eggs and chicks.

Captive Program: Captive population being managed towards self-sustainability. Twenty holders in New Zealand , three in the U.S.A. , and one each in Australia , England and Germany

Associated Documents:

- Tuatara captive management plan and husbandry manual (Threatened Species Occasional Publication 21, Department of Conservation, June 2002) (PDF, 769K)

Tuatara Recovery Plan 2000-2011 (Threatened Species Recovery Plan 47, Department of Conservation, 2001)