/tooh'euh tahr"euh/ , n.
a large, primarily nocturnal, lizardlike reptile, Sphenodon punctatum, of islands near the coast of New Zealand: the only surviving rhynchocephalian.
Also, tuatera /tooh'euh tair"euh/ . Also called sphenodon .
[ 1810-20; tua dorsal + tara spine ]