Kawasphenodon (SciiFii)

The Patagonian tuatara (Kawasphenodon americanum) is a species of sphenodontian reptile that originally lived from the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene of Patagonia in South America as an extinct species, Kawasphenodon expectatus, and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the modern forests, swamps, and open woodlands across South America to help boost biodiversity. A second species, K. peligrensis, around 1/3 the size of the type species, was described in 2014 also from jaw fragments in early Paleocene (Danian) sediments of the Salamanca Formation, making it the youngest known definitive representative of Rhynchocephalia outside of New Zealand. Like most other rhynchocephalians, the Patagonian tuatara's teeth are acrodont, with a deep dentary, and it has an omnivorous habit, feeding on vegetation, insects, and carrion. It is an average-sized reptile, growing on average to be about the size of the New Zealand tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus). The Patagonian tuatara is a solitary animal that spends throughout most of its entire life except during the breeding seasons. The conservation status of the Patagonian tuatara is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the Patagonian tuatara's wide range and its tolerance to most of human activities, including being able to adapt to life in the cities and suburbs.