What is Megalania?
Megalania was a giant lizard, between 4.5 m (15 ft) and 7.9 m (26 ft) (depending on which size estimate you trust) in length, with a weight of between 331 kg (730 lb) and 600 kg (1,300 lb). Its name means “ancient giant roamer”, not “ancient giant butcher” as some mistaken descriptions assert. 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 because of its size, is sometimes referred to as the “Dragon of the Australian Outback.” Megalania is also known as the giant goanna, and it was related to the goanna lizards of today, including the largest extant lizard, the Komodo Dragon, though it is more closely related to the Perentie, Australia’s largest lizard today. Megalania had a mouth full of serrated, razor sharp teeth that curves like scimitars. Judging by its size, it probably ate mid-to-large sized animals, especially giant marsupials like Diprotodon, the giant wombat, and large
