How old are the oldest Sphenodon-like fossils from New Zealand’s South Island?

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tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus) — tuatara The species is the sole living member of the reptile order Rhynchocephalia.

The oldest fossils comparable to Sphenodon, the only extant genus of tuatara, consist of jaw fragments discovered on New Zealand’s South Island. These fossils are dated to between 19 million and 16 million years ago.1