How tuatara live so long and can withstand cool weather
Scientists have finally deciphered the rare reptile's genome, or genetic instruction book
![tuatara](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/080420_jake_tuatara_feat.jpg?fit=1028%2C579&ssl=1)
The tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus), a reptile whose ancestry stretches back to before the dinosaurs, is more closely related to snakes and lizards than to turtles and crocodiles, suggests the first-ever in-depth genetic analysis.
Sid Mosdell/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)