Ancient Extinct Skink was Orders of Magnitude Bigger Than Any Skink Alive Today

Researchers have made a significant discovery regarding an ancient and extinct species of skink. The findings, reveal that this prehistoric skink was considerably larger in size compared to any skink species currently in existence.

A team of scientists from Flinders University, in collaboration with the South and Western Australian Museums, has confirmed the identification of an exceptionally large prehistoric reptile. The researchers published their findings in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, describing the techniques used to locate and categorize the specimen, along with its notable physical characteristics.

A Surprising Singular Species of Colossal Proportions

In 2016, scientists made a significant discovery of lizard fossils at a Wellington Cave excavation site in New South Wales, Australia. Initially, it was believed that the fossils belonged to two different species of large, ancient lizards.

However, upon further investigation, it was determined that all the fossils actually belonged to a single lizard, which turned out to be one of the largest ever recorded. Since the initial find, numerous additional samples of this giant lizard have been unearthed at the site, varying in age and size.

In fact these findings allowed for comparisons with lizard fossils found at other locations and in museums, confirming that they all belonged to the same lizard species. The researchers estimated that this species existed from approximately 2 million years ago to around 47,000 years ago.

A Gigantic Lizard with Unique Armor and Size

The lizard species has been named Tiliqua frangens. Apart from its impressive size, it possesses other distinctive characteristics. The lizards were covered in thick, spiky armor, which served as protective plating against predators. However, such predators would have needed to be quite large, as the ancient lizards reached lengths of up to 60 centimeters and weighed as much as 2.4 kilograms.

However for comparison, modern skinks, the largest of which are considerably smaller, reach only about 35 centimeters in length and weigh around 2 grams on average. The researchers suggest that the ancient skink species most closely resembles the blue-tongued skink among its modern relatives.

Described by the researchers as “one of the most peculiar lizards discovered in recent times,” the ancient skink had a broad, heavyset body resembling that of an alligator, indicating it was likely a slow-moving creature with limited agility.

Its large size and protective armor probably allowed it to forage openly during daylight hours, primarily consuming plants, similar to its modern counterparts. The presence of the lizard fossils at various stages of growth enabled the researchers to study its development and track its growth over time.

Read he original article on Phys.

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