PRJNA418887
Sphenodon punctatus isolate:mauimua-1 Genome sequencing and assembly
The tuatara is phylogenetically unique; the only living member of an archaic reptilian order Rynchocephalia. As such they represent a key link to the now extinct stem reptiles from which dinosaurs, modern reptiles, birds and mammals evolved, providing unique insight into what those early vertebrate ancestors may have been like.