Megalania (Varanus priscus) is an extinct species of giant monitor lizard, part of the megafaunal assemblage that inhabited Australia during the Pleistocene. […] Megalania is the largest terrestrial lizard known to have existed.
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The youngest fossil remains of giant monitor lizards in Australia date to around 50,000 years ago. The first indigenous settlers of Australia might have encountered megalania, and been a factor in megalania’s extinction.
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Size
The lack of complete or nearly complete fossil skeletons has made it difficult to determine the exact dimensions of megalania. Early estimates placed the length of the largest individuals at 7 m (23 ft), with a maximum weight of approximately 600–620 kg (1,320–1,370 lb). In 2002, Stephen Wroe considerably downsized megalania, suggesting a maximum length of 4.5 m (15 ft) and a weight of 331 kg (730 lb) with averages of 3.5 m (11 ft) and 97–158 kg (214–348 lb), decrying the earlier maximum length estimate of 7 m (23 ft) as exaggerations based on flawed methods. In 2009, however Wroe joined other researchers in raising the estimate to at least 5.5 m (18 ft) and 575 kg (1,268 lb).
In a book published in 2004, Ralph Molnar determined a range of potential sizes for megalania, made by scaling up from dorsal vertebrae, after he determined a relationship between dorsal vertebrae width and total body length. If it had a long, thin tail like the lace monitor, then it would have reached a length of 7.9 m (26 ft), while if its tail-to-body proportions were more similar to that of the Komodo dragon, then a length around 7 m (23 ft) is more likely. Taking the maximal 7 m (23 ft) length, he estimated a weight of 1,940 kg (4,280 lb), with a leaner 320 kg (710 lb) being average.
I totally buy the “humans encountered this and it went extinct shortly after theory. If I had a 20 foot predator reptile as a neighbor I’d go sick mode
call me st george the way i would not hesitate to IMPALE this SERPENT
Unironically though, imagine having one of those within a mile of your child in an ancient era. It’s killing time in that case
Is it weird, but im kind of disappointed that this animal no longer exist?
It’s only natural to feel that way. Life is precious and once it’s gone it’s lost forever.
well… we might be cloning wooly mammoths, dodos, thylacines, moa, and a few others “soon”
That guy got to be like 5’4”? That lizard maybe 6’. Yeah I could take that lizard on in a 1v1 fight.
With weapons probably, humans use tools as equalizers to great effect
The youngest fossil remains of giant monitor lizards in Australia date to around 50,000 years ago. The first indigenous settlers of Australia might have encountered megalania, and been a factor in megalania’s extinction.
Then they proceeded to terraform the continent in such a fashion that it became a giant ecologically stable food forest… before the subhuman barbaric cow-eating whites showed up and ruined it all for everyone.
When I see creatures like this, or that gigantic centipede that’s bigger than a crocodile, I kind of feel like I missed out. All those cool creatures died out so long ago (except wooly mammoths apparently; they were supposedly around as recently as ancient Egypt).
I believe I read a thing suggesting mammoths lived in remote areas of Alaska as late as 300-500 years ago even
You can’t pet the giant monitor lizards, they’ll eat you.
Maybe that’s a good thing
I would pet large lizard.
Volcano Manor looking ass mf.
FR tho, feel like shit, just want him back. I could have had one as a pet
Creeping me out, that thing looks like it can talk and belongs to a lizard society with advanced lizard coded technology
