Order - Rhynchocephalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Infraphylum: Gnathostomata

Parvphylum: Osteichthyes

Megaclass: Tetrapoda

Class: Reptilia

Order: Rhynchocephalia

Name derivation: “beak heads”

  • Family: Sphenodontidae (tuatara)

Number of known Species: 1

Earliest Fossil Record: Middle Triassic 238 to 240 mya

Habitat: Terrestrial

Size Range: up to 43 cm

Notes: Based on Catalogue of Life as of July 2024