EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Tuatara are New Zealand’s largest reptile. Adult males are about 0.5 metres in length, and weigh up to 1.5 kg when fully grown. The male has a distinctive crest of spines running along the neck and down the back. He can erect these spines to attract females or when fighting with other males.

Detailed explanation-2: -Tuatara are reptiles of the genus Sphenodon. There are two extant species of tuatara: Sphenodon punctatus (Northern Tuatara) and Sphenodon guntheri (Brothers Island Tuatara).

Detailed explanation-3: -They eat mostly insects, especially beetles, but have been known to eat lizards, birds, and bird eggs. Young tuataras usually hunt for food during the day to keep from being eaten by adult tuataras at night!

Detailed explanation-4: -Tautara (sphenodon) have been referred to as living fossils because they retain many basal characteristics from around the time of the Mesozoic era. Hence, option C is correct.