Sphenodontia
(Redirected from Rhynchocephalia)
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
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| Sphenodon | |
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| Order: | Sphenodontia Williston, 1925
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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.
Sphenodontia Media
Skeleton of the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus)
Skulls of Clevosaurus hudsoni (left) and Clevosaurus cambrica (right)
Skeleton of Pleurosaurus, an aquatically adapted sphenodontian from the Late Jurassic of Germany
Homeosaurus maximiliani from the Late Jurassic of Germany
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