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Where the Tuatara Lives

The tuatara lives wild only in New Zealand. Not a lizard but the last of a reptile group that lived with the dinosaurs, with a “third eye” on top of its head.

Tiger Lion Asian elephant Giant panda Kangaroo Polar bear Penguin Hilsa (ilish) Atlantic salmon Red-bellied piranha King cobra Peacock (Indian peafowl)

Tuatara in the wild

Point at or tap a country to see if it lives there.

Lives wild here Not found wild

: of our animals live wild here

None of the animals on this list live wild here.

Lives wild in 1 country

New Zealand Mostly predator-free offshore islands

Countries it lives in

Countries it died out in

Scientific name

Sphenodon punctatus

IUCN Red List

Least Concern

Where other animals live

Big cats

Big mammals

Apes, monkeys and lemurs

Bears

Wolves, foxes and hyenas

More mammals

Birds

Reptiles and amphibians

Dolphins and sea mammals

Fish

Ranges are simplified to whole countries: a country is coloured if the animal lives wild in any part of it, including populations brought back by conservation projects. Animals on farms, in zoos or released outside their natural range are not counted. Conservation status from the IUCN Red List.

Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain). Borders are simplified and do not imply any view on disputed territory.

About the Where Animals Live

Where Animals Live shows which countries a wild animal calls home. Pick one of 213 animals and fish – tiger, lion, elephant, giant panda, kangaroo, polar bear, penguin, king cobra, hilsa, salmon, piranha and more – and the countries it lives in light up on the world map, with the places it has died out from shown apart. Tap any country to see every animal on the list that lives wild there.

How to use it

1 Pick an animal from the list or the buttons above the map.
2 Watch the countries it lives in light up; press Replay to see it again.
3 Point at or tap a country to see if the animal lives there, with a note on where.
4 Tapping a country also lists every animal on the list found there; tap one to open its map.

Frequently asked questions

Which countries does the tuatara live in?

The tuatara lives wild in New Zealand only.

Is the tuatara endangered?

The IUCN Red List lists the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) as Least Concern.

What does a coloured country mean?

That the animal lives wild somewhere in that country today – it may be only one region, such as lions in Gir Forest in India. Animals on farms, in zoos or released outside their natural range are not counted.

What does “died out here” mean?

The animal once lived wild in that country but no longer does, like tigers in Pakistan and Iran or lions in North Africa. Where it was later brought back, the country counts as one it lives in.

Where do the ranges come from?

They are compiled from field guides, conservation reports and the IUCN Red List, simplified to whole countries. Wild animals move and surveys miss them, so a rare visitor may not be shown.

Why are some animals shown as a group?

Kangaroos, penguins, lemurs, sloths, kiwis and birds-of-paradise are families of many species, so the map shows where any of them live. The conservation status is then left out, as each species has its own.

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