Megalania was a giant lizard that lived in Australia during the Pleistocene, weighing between 331kg and 600kg. It had razor-sharp teeth and likely ate large animals such as giant marsupials. Humans may have caused its extinction. Megalania was likely intelligent for a reptile, and reports of living Megalania are false.
Megalania was a giant lizard, between 4.5m (15ft) and 7.9m (26ft) (whichever size estimate you trust) in length, weighing between 331kg (730lbs) and 600kg ( 1,300 lbs) . His name means “giant ancient wanderer”, not “giant ancient butcher” as some erroneous descriptions claim. Megalania lived in Australia during the Pleistocene, between about 1.6 million and 40,000 years ago. Megalania was the largest lizard that ever lived and, due to its size, is sometimes referred to as the ‘Australian Outback Dragon’. Megalania is also known as the giant goanna and was related to today’s goanna lizards, including the largest extant lizard, the Komodo dragon, although it is more closely related to the Perentie, the largest lizard in Australia today.
Megalania had a mouth full of razor-sharp, serrated teeth that curved like scimitars. Judging by its size, it likely ate medium to large animals, especially giant marsupials such as Diprotodon, the giant wombat, and large kangaroos. Megalania-sized lizards are unlikely to evolve today due to the absence of megafauna on which they could feed. Judging that the lizard went extinct around 40,000 years ago when humans arrived on the continent, it seems likely that humans caused its demise by taking away its food sources: large animals.
Being a monitor lizard, Megalania was probably intelligent for a reptilian. All monitor lizards have a high metabolic rate compared to other lizards, along with several sensory adaptations that help them hunt for live prey. Living monitor lizards can stand on their hind legs and observe their environment, a feature that gives them their name. The smartest of the lizards, other monitors have been shown to be able to count to six (through careful snail feeding studies at the San Diego Zoo), trick crocodiles into using bait to steal their eggs, cooperate during the foraging and even having distinct personalities.
There are sometimes reports of living Megalania, though these are almost certainly false, because reports only started coming in after the species was described in scientific journals.
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