n.
Pronunciation: ˌ tü- ə - ' tär- ə
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -tara or -taras
Etymology: Maori tuatàra
Date: 1890
: a large spiny quadrupedal reptile ( Sphenodon punctatum ) of islands off the coast of New Zealand that has a vestigial third eye in the middle of the forehead representing the pineal gland and that is the only surviving rhynchocephalian
tuatara