James and his Tuatara.

James has a toy Tuatara.

It sparked our interest in these creatures.

So we asked at home to see what facts we could find.

We searched the internet too.

This is what we found.

Tuatara are reptiles – but they’re not lizards.

They are only found in New Zealand.
Tuatara were around with the dinosaurs.

Tuatara is a Maori word meaning "spiny back”.

They can hold their breath for up to an hour.

Lose their skin once a year.