Megalania

Megalania is the biggest land lizard ever. It was actually a kind of giant monitor lizard. It was found in Southern Australia. It disappeared around 40,000 years ago. The first aboriginal settlers of Australia may have seen living Megalania.

There are no complete fossils of the Megalania. Therefore, it is very hard to tell exactly how big they were. It is estimated that Megalania was about 7 metres long (23 feet) and weighed about 600 – 620 kilograms (1320-1360 lb). You can find a Megalania  skull about 74 centimetres (29 inches) long in the Museum of Science in Boston.

For Megalania, a human would be no more than a snack!
For Megalania, a human would be no more than a snack!

Megalania fed on medium to large sized animals like the large marsupials like the Diprotodon. It also hunted on reptiles, small mammals, birds, their eggs and chicks. It had big huge limbs and a big huge body. On its large skull, you can see a small crest on between the eyes and a jaw full of saw-like teeth.

Megalania most likelyhad  venom glands along its jaw line. So, when Megalania attacked the venom would have killed the victim. Although Megalania is huge, but it ate less food than a mammal of its size. If Megalania actually had venom, this would make Megalania the largest ever venomous vertebrate.

One thought on “Megalania”

  1. this would be one ferocious beast if it lived today. lizards are known world wide for not only nasty tempers, but infectious bites as well. this bite would be lethal is an understatement.

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