Megalania prisca is an extinct giant monitor lizard. It was one of the megafauna that roamed southern Australia, and appears to have become extinct around 40,000 years ago. The name Megalania prisca means “ancient giant butcher”. The first aboriginal settlers of Australia may have encountered living Megalania. Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders See text. ... Suborders Amphisbaenia - Worm lizards Sauria- Lizards Serpentes - Snakes Squamata (scaled reptiles) is the largest recent order of reptiles, including lizards and snakes. ... Families Many, see text. ... Species Many, see text. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Sir Richard Owen and Dinornis bird skeleton Sir Richard Owen (July 20, 1804 - December 18, 1892) was an English biologist, comparative anatomist and palaeontologist. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... Species Many, see text. ...

Size of the Megalania

Megalania was a giant lizard, reaching lengths of 5 to 6 metres (about 17 to 20 feet). Megalania was the largest lizard that ever lived, and was a fearsome predator, with heavily built limbs and body and a solid skull full of short blade-teeth. Due to its size and similarities to the Komodo Dragon, a relationship between the two species has been suggested. In reality however Megalania's closest relative is the perentie, Australia's largest extant lizard. This snapping turtle is trying to make a meal of a Canada goose, but the goose is too wary. ... Binomial name Varanus komodoensis Ouwens, 1912 The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest lizard in the world, growing to an average length of 2-3 meters (10 feet). ... Binomial name Varanus giganteus (Gray, 1845) The Perentie is the largest monitor lizard or goanna native to Australia. ...

Live Megalania

There have been reports and rumors of living Megalania in Australia, and occasionally New Guinea, as recently as the 1970s. Australian cryptozoologist Rex Gilroy has stated that Megalania is still alive today, and it is only a matter of time until one comes in. Aside from stories, the only evidence that Megalania might still be alive today is a cast of a possible Megalania footprint that Gilroy made in 1979. An outsized monitor lizard had walked across a plowed field. It is plausible, as many kinds of animals that have died out or are much less common elsewhere (monotremes, marsupials, etc.) thrive in Australia. However, there have been no serious studies taken to determine whether the Megalania is alive today, and it is still considered to be extinct.

External link

Cryptozoology.com's profile on Megalania