tuatara
part of speech
noun (a tuatara, tuatara or tuataras)
meaning for a pupil
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 →
sense 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.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «tuatara» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.