order of reptiles From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Sphenodontia is a diverse group of reptile. It includes only one living genus, the tuatara (Sphenodon). An alternative name for the order is the Rhynchocephalia.
Sphenodonts Temporal range: Upper Triassic – Recent | |
---|---|
Sphenodon | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | Sphenodontia Williston, 1925 |
Families | |
|
They are an offshoot from the evolutionary line leading to the lizards and snakes. They had many families during the late Triassic and Jurassic periods but then declined. They are now are the least successful of the lepidosaurs.[1]
The only surviving member today is the New Zealand tuatara.
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.