Pleurosaurus (SciiFii)

The serpentine tuatara (Pleurosaurus serpentinus) is a species of diapsid reptile belonging to the group Sphenodontia, closely related to the New Zealand tuataras (Sphenodon punctatus), but belongs to is own family, Pleurosauridae. The genus itself originally lived in what is now Germany and France as two extinct species, Pleurosaurus goldfussi and Pleurosaurus ginsburgi, and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the Mediterranean coastlines of mainland Europe to help boost biodiversity. The serpentine tuatara is one of the few known aquatic sphenodontians. Its body is, on average, around 4.9 feet (1.5 metres) long, and is elongated for hydrodynamic streamlining, with comparatively short limbs and a powerful tail. The body of the animal is heavily modified from those of other rhynchocephalians, including an enlongated triangular skull. It swims via the use of poorly effiicient axial undulatory anguilliform locomotion (the movement of the body side to side) in shallow marine environments, and is piscivorous, feeding primarily on small fish. It has only small limbs, which do not aid in swimming, and nostrils placed far back on the head, close to the eyes, allow efficient breathing when surfacing to take in air. The serpentine tuatara is a solitary animal throughout most of its entire life except during the breeding seasons. The conservation status of the serpentine tuatara is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the serpentine tuatara's wide range and its tolerance to most of the human activities, including being able to adapt to life in the coastal cities and suburbs.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii