The largest lizard fossils in history have been discovered in Australia

The largest lizard fossils in history have been discovered in Australia. A creature that can reach 60 centimeters.

If our Lizards They are very small, even very small, and they have never been so throughout history. As with many prehistoric animals, there was a time when some species were very large. Traces of one of these species are accurate Recently discovered in Australia.

The largest lizard fossils in history have been discovered in Australia

An Australian study recently published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society b.This species is named after Tilica frankens Lived in the south of the country, in the present state of New South Wales, about 50,000 years ago. If their size and weight exceeded that of our current species, scientists found that these giant lizards had a thick shell and spikes.

To learn more, scientists excavated and analyzed dozens of fossils recovered from the Wellington Caves. They were able to clearly identify the species as having lived in the Pleistocene period – 2.6 million years to 12,000 years ago. At one time these lizards could measure up to 60 centimeters, which is six times longer than the average of today’s species. A lizard that measures an arm, it’s not very comfortable. All for a weight of about 2.4 kg on the scale. 1,000 times more than the typical skink today.

A creature that can reach 60 centimeters

Regarding their lifestyle, The Tilica frankens Far from the heat of Australia’s most arid region, it would have lived much like our current lizards, seeking refuge in temperate forests with lush vegetation. Their thick skin and numerous spikes were an important defense against predators.

Unfortunately, these natural defenses did not protect the animals from the climatic and population upheavals that hit present-day Australia about 50,000 years ago. Indeed, it was during this period that most of the Australian fauna disappeared from the surface, such as Diprotodon (a giant marsupial), the marsupial lion, Procoptodon (a giant kangaroo) or Megalania (a giant monitor lizard). Our planet.