tuatara
/ˌtuːəˈtɑːrə/noun
1- a nocturnal burrowing lizard-like reptile with a crest of soft spines along its back, now confined to some small islands off New Zealand楔齿蜥。
1.1
- Order Rhynchocephalia and genus Sphenodon: two species, in particular S.punctatum. All other members of the order became extinct during the Mesozoic era.喙头蜥目, 楔齿蜥属：2种, 尤指楔齿蜥。同目中的其他所有种类均在中生代时期灭绝。
词源
late 19th cent.: from Maori, from tua 'on the back' + tara 'spine'.