Meaning: 'Ancient giant butcher'. Age: Pleistocene Epoch (~1.8 million to ~50 thousand years ago).

Megalania would have been a force to reckon with in prehistoric Australia as the early Aborigines tried to compete for food with such a creature. They would eventually learn that fire was the best way to fight such a formidable opponent.

Physical Description
Add about 8 feet to the Komodo dragon's 10-foot length and you've got Megalania, which weighed over 800 pounds. It was the largest lizard that ever lived and most likely a formidable predator, able to take down animals 10 times its size. Megalania lived in Australia 68,000 years ago and, despite its similarities to the Komodo dragon, is most closely related to the perentie, Australia's largest living lizard today. Megalania could see over long distances, i.e., more than 900 feet, but it was better at eyeing moving objects. This giant lizard used its claws for tearing open the flesh of fresh carcasses. Megalania's mouth was filled with large, curved, serrated teeth meant to rip its prey to shreds. If that didn't work, the giant lizard left bacteria-laced saliva in its victim that was sure to kill—a technique the Komodo dragon still employs. Like current-day reptiles, this giant lizard would have used its tongue to smell its prey. With a flick of its long, forked tongue and the help of a scent organ, known as Jacobson's organ, it could detect a rotting carcass from over seven miles away.

Distribution
Fossils have been found in South Australia, Queensland and New South Wales. Fossil bones amounting to about 20% of the skeleton of Megalania have been found in eastern Australia, particularly the Darling Downs of Queensland. However, acomplete skeleton of a Megalania has never been found.

Habitat
They lived in open woodland and grassland.

Reproduction
They laid eggs as all varanid lizards do, but so far none have been found as fossils.

Best place to see
Giant ripper lizard fossils and reconstructions are on display at Monash Science Centre, Monash University, Clayton in Victoria State, Australia; and the Wonambi Fossil Centre, Naracoorte Caves National Park, South Australia.