What’s the difference between lizards and tuataras?

Tuatara means "spiny back" in Maori. Tuataras are reptiles but they are very different to lizards, crocodiles and amphibians (frogs, salamanders). Tuatara have a primitive body structure that supports the theory that they are one of the oldest and most un-evolved species, having hardly changed in the past 220 million years. Anatomy: Tuatara have a scaly loose skin which is soft to the touch. They have a variable body temperature which enables them to survive in cold climates. The difference between lizards and tuataras are in their skeletal structure. They have an extra bone on the side of the skull that anchors the bone to which the lower jaw is hinged. On its eye there are three eyelids. Its scales are unlike those of other reptiles because they do not have free edges or overlap. Otherwise they look somewhat like an iguana. Diet: They feed on wetas, worms, lizards, millipedes and small seabirds.

Do Tuataras really have a third eye?

"Third eye in the forehead of tuataras and many lizards that can register light intensity and may help to regulate body temperature." It has also been suggested that it can sense length of day, this would be helpful to tell when the time of year it is for breeding!!