Editing Tuatara (section)

== Ecology ==

Burrowing seabirds such as [[petrel]]s, [[prion (bird)|prions]], and [[shearwater]]s share the tuatara's island habitat during the birds' nesting seasons. The tuatara use the [[bird]]s' burrows for shelter when available, or dig their own. The seabirds' [[guano]] helps to maintain invertebrate populations on which tuatara predominantly prey, including [[beetle]]s, [[crickets]], [[spider]]s, [[wētā]]s, [[earthworm]]s, and [[snail]]s.<ref name="Sphenodon punctatus Tuatara">{{cite web | url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sphenodon_punctatus/ | title=Sphenodon punctatus (Tuatara) | website=[[Animal Diversity Web]] }}</ref> Their diets also consist of [[frog]]s, [[lizard]]s, and bird's eggs and chicks.<ref name="Vaux 2019" /> Young tuatara are also occasionally cannibalised.<ref name="Sphenodon punctatus Tuatara" /> The diet of the tuatara varies seasonally, and they consume mainly [[fairy prions]] and their eggs in the summer.<ref>{{Cite thesis |title=Diets of wild tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) on Stephens Island |url=https://ourarchive.otago.ac.nz/handle/10523/2959 |publisher=University of Otago |date=1993 |degree=Thesis |language=en |first=James |last=Fraser}}</ref>  In total darkness no feeding attempt was observed,<ref>{{cite journal |author = Meyer-Rochow, V.B. |year=1988 |title=Behaviour of young tuatara (''Sphenodon punctatus'') in total darkness |journal=Tuatara |volume=30 |pages=36–38}}</ref> and the lowest light intensity at which an attempt to snatch a beetle was observed occurred under 0.0125&nbsp;[[lux (unit)|lux]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Meyer-Rochow |first1=Victor Benno |last2=Teh |first2=Katrina L. |date=July 1991 |title=Visual Predation by Tuatara (Sphenodon Punctatus) on the Beach Beetle (Chaerodes Trachyscelides) as a Selective force in the Production of Distinct Colour Morphs |url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/name-102493.html |journal=Tuatara: Journal of the Biological Society |volume=31 |issue=1 |pages=1–8 |via=[[Victoria University of Wellington]]}}</ref> The eggs and young of seabirds that are seasonally available as food for tuatara may provide [[essential fatty acid|beneficial fatty acids]].<ref name="encyclo" /> Tuatara of both sexes defend territories, and will threaten and eventually bite intruders. The bite can cause serious injury.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |author1 = Daugherty, C. |author2 = Keall, S. |title = Tuatara: Life History |encyclopedia = Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand  |url = https://teara.govt.nz/en/tuatara/page-1}}</ref> Tuatara will bite when approached, and will not let go easily.<ref name="lutz24">{{Harvnb|Lutz|2005|p=24}}</ref> Female tuatara rarely exhibit parental behaviour by guarding nests on islands with high rodent populations.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Refsnider |first1=Jeanine M. |last2=Keall |first2=Susan N. |last3=Daugherty |first3=Charles H. |last4=Nelson |first4=Nicola J. |title=Does Nest-Guarding in Female Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) Reduce Nest Destruction by Conspecific Females? |journal=Journal of Herpetology |date=2009 |volume=43 |issue=2 |pages=294–299 |doi=10.1670/08-120R1.1 }}</ref>

Tuataras are parasitised by the [[tuatara tick]] (''Archaeocroton sphenodonti''), a [[tick]] that directly depends on tuataras.<ref name="godf">{{cite journal |last1=Godfrey |first1=S. S. |last2=Bull |first2=C. M. |last3=Nelson |first3=N. J. |title=Seasonal and spatial dynamics of ectoparasite infestation of a threatened reptile, the tuatara (''Sphenodon punctatus'') |journal=Medical and Veterinary Entomology |date=2008 |volume=22 |issue=4 |pages=374–385 <!-- |access-date=3 July 2018 --> |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2915.2008.00751.x|pmid=19120965 |s2cid=20718129 }}</ref> These ticks tend to be more prevalent on larger males, as they have larger home ranges than smaller and female tuatara and interact with other tuatara more in territorial displays.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Godfrey |first1=Stephanie |last2=Moore |first2=Jennifer |last3=Nelson |first3=Nicola |last4=Bull |first4=Michael |title=Social network structure and parasite infection patterns in a territorial reptile, the tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) |journal=International Journal for Parasitology |date=2010 |volume=40 |issue=13 |pages=1575–1585 |doi=10.1016/j.ijpara.2010.06.002 |pmid=20637210 }}</ref>