The Family Sphenodontidae consists of tuataras, a small group of reptilian species native to New Zealand. Tuataras are lizard-like but not true lizards, representing the only surviving members of the order Rhynchocephalia. They have a primitive skull structure, slow metabolism, and grow very slowly, often living over 100 years. Tuataras are mostly nocturnal predators, feeding on insects, small reptiles, birds, and eggs. They are of great evolutionary interest because they retain many ancestral features found in early reptiles, making them a living fossil and a key species for studying reptile evolution and conservation.