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Kōrero: Tuatara

Image
Teeth

Tuatara have a single row of teeth in their lower jaw, and a double row in their upper jaw (obscured by the top lip). When the jaws close, the bottom row fits between the two upper rows. The teeth are actually serrated extensions of the jawbone. Once they wear down they are not replaced, and some old tuatara have almost smooth jaws.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Victoria University of Wellington

by Stephanie Godfrey

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Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Charles Daugherty rāua ko Susan Keall, Tuatara – Tuatara islands, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/14989/teeth (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Charles Daugherty rāua ko Susan Keall, i tāngia i te 1 March 2009.