The tuatara looks like a lizard , but is actually a very different kind of reptile .
刺背鳄蜥看起来像一只蜥蜴，但它实际上是一种非同寻常的爬行动物。
This has made the tuatara another classic example of natural stagnation , with some researchers claiming that the reptile has remained unchanged for 220 million years .
这使得刺背鳄蜥称为另一种自然停滞的典型例子，一些研究人员声称爬行动物已经2.2亿年保持不变了。
His research focuses mainly on skull mechanics and feeding apparatus in reptiles such as the new zealand tuatara ( sphenodon ) .
他的研究领域主要集中于头骨力学以及爬行动物的进食方式，例如新西兰大鳄蜥。
Saving the tuatara is a matter of pride among new zealand 's indigenous groups . The animals are revered by the maori as a taonga , or treasure .
拯救大蜥蜴在新西兰土著部落里是一件荣耀的事情。这种动物被毛利人视宝贵财富。
In his latest book , paleontologist richard fortey cast the tuatara , coelacanth , and similar organisms as " survivors . "
