tuatara

noun (a tuatara, tuatara or tuataras)

«tuatara» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

Everyday

A tuatara is a lizard-like reptile found only in New Zealand; it is the last living member of a very old group of reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs. tree →

In the lessons

In science and New Zealand studies it is a famous "living fossil" example. It shows how islands can keep very old kinds of animals. The name comes from Maori and means "peaks on the back". Phrases: a living fossil, tuatara sanctuary.

Examples

The tuatara lives only in New Zealand. tree →
A tuatara is not a true lizard, even though it looks like one. tree →
Some tuatara live for more than a hundred years. tree →
The tuatara has spines along its back. tree →
Rats nearly wiped out the tuatara on many islands. tree →
We saw a tuatara at the wildlife sanctuary. tree →

Note

Plural: tuatara (as in Maori) or tuataras. Said too-a-TAH-ra. Trap: it looks like a lizard but belongs to a different group. Young tuatara have a "third eye" spot on the top of the head that senses light.

On Mova

Trees and pragmatics of «tuatara» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
«tuatara» in the school dictionary on Mova free.

This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/tuatara/