Order Rhynchocephalia (Noun)
Meaning
Tuataras; extinct forms from middle Triassic.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The living tuataras are the only remaining representatives of the order Rhynchocephalia, a group of reptiles that dates back to the middle Triassic period.
- In the context of phylogenetic research, the order Rhynchocephalia has been the subject of much study, particularly with regards to the group's relationship to the extinct forms.
- Tuataras have been relatively unchanged since the Triassic, when other contemporaneous members of the order Rhynchocephalia were characterized by a range of different morphologies.
- Several extinct forms from the middle Triassic, including those from the order Rhynchocephalia, have been found in the geological deposits of South Africa and Australia.
- Because the group has been relatively stable since the Triassic, living tuataras and extinct forms from the order Rhynchocephalia share a high degree of homology.