Tuatara: Lizard or Not a Lizard?

Tuatara: Lizard or Not a Lizard?

From Ten Things I Like About... Podcast by Kiersten Gibizov

January 21, 2026 · 9 min · Episode 141

About this episode

This episode explores whether the tuatara is classified as a lizard or not.

Summary: Is the tuatara a lizard? We have hinted at it for a few episodes. Join Kiersten to find out if the tuatara is or is not a lizard. For my hearing impaired followers, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean Show Notes: “It’s not a lizard or a dinosaur: the tuatara is something else entirely,” by Bec Crew. Australian Geographic, https://www.australiangeographic.com.au “New study shows modern tuatara are little changed from 190 million year old ancestors.” Harvard University Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. https://www.oeb.harvard.edu Parietal Eye, https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medicine/parietal-eye Music written and performed by Katherine Camp Transcript (Piano music plays) Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife. (Piano music stops) Kiersten - Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… This is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different…

People in this episode

Host: Kiersten Gibizov

Topics covered

  • tuatara
  • wildlife
  • misunderstood creatures
  • nature
  • science

Keywords

  • tuatara
  • lizard
  • wildlife
  • nature
  • misunderstood animals

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Australian Geographic, Harvard University Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, ScienceDirect

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