Abstract
QUALITATIVE tests have shown that the only surviving member of the reptile family Rhynchocephalia, the tuatara, excretes both urea and uric acid. Snakes (Squamata) eliminate nitrogen principally in the form of uric acid2–4, while the Crocodilia excrete uric acid and ammonia5. Some chelonians (turtles and tortoises) excrete uric acid, others excrete urea or ammonia6,7 and a few can change from one to the other8,9.
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DAWBIN, W., HILL, L. Uric Acid and Urea Excretion in the Tuatara Sphenodon punctatus. Nature 224, 1325–1326 (1969). https://doi.org/10.1038/2241325a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2241325a0
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