Undeadskeptic Posted July 18, 2008 #1 Share Posted July 18, 2008 (edited) Megalania - The Killer Lizard In this day and age, Australia is thought of as desert filled with eucalyptus trees and cotton plantations. The animals usually associated with this continent are koalas, kangaroo, wombats, and crocodiles, some of the largest to be found. There used to be other animals, commonly referred to as megafauna, that roamed this continent before being wiped out by plague or man. These were nightmarish versions of the creatures that we have today. Australia once held 10-foot tall kangaroos that fed on flesh rather than vegetation, and at one time had monitor lizards that dwarfed the Komodo dragon. This was megalania prisca, a reptile reaching 30 feet in length and weighing at least 1,000 pounds or more. The Komodo dragon is roughly the size of a lion, but megalania was bigger than an average dairy cow. Extinct megalania is listed with the many casualties of the Ice Age. Or is it extinct? The creature has been sighted many times in the last century, and some sightings suggest that it lives also in New Guinea. During the middle of the day, a surveyor returned to his truck. Tired, he wanted nothing more than to go home. He spied what he thought was a fallen tree near his car. Blaming his fatigue for his lack of details he climbed in his car and slammed the door. The "log" suddenly bolted away! It ended up being a lizard of 15 feet in length. Australian cryptozoologist Rex Gilroy is convinced these creatures are still alive and it is only a matter of time before one is captured or killed and brought in. As recently as the late '70s there have been megalania sightings. In July 1979, Rex Gilroy was informed of footprints of the creature found in a recently plowed field. Across the field were 30 or so tracks from what looked like an enormous lizard. Rain had ruined most of the tracks but Gilroy was able to make a plaster cast of one that had been preserved. The footprint looked surprisingly like something that might have been made by a Megalania. Also in 1979 a sighting of megalania arose, this time by the best possible witness. Herpetologist Frank Gordon, after conducting some field work in the Wattagan Mountains in New South Wales, returned to his vehicle. After starting his engine he saw, what he at first thought was a log, scampering off. It ended up being a lizard of some 30 feet or more in length. Another incident includes a farmer who observed a gigantic lizard walking along one of his fields. It walked along a wire fence, so the farmer used a set of fence posts as a guide. His estimate of the beast was a length of twenty to twenty-five feet. The size corresponds with megalania. Megalania might not be constrained only to Australia--some sightings suggest it may live in New Guinea. A French priest in the 1960's was traveling up river with a native guide in order to reach his mission. During the trip he spotted a large lizard lying on a fallen tree in the sun. He told the native to stop, but being badly frightened, the native continued the journey. The priest returned to the spot the following morning and measured the tree. It was 40 feet long, yet the lizard almost matched it. The wilds of the New Zealand islands may also have a monstrous secret lurking within them. There are 90 species of lizards currently known in New Zealand. Most are not of any impressionable size and yet from Cooks first arrival in New Zealand, strange tales of large lizards have been passed down to fairly recent times. One of these lizards, the Kumi lizard, was apparently of impressive size. When Cook arrived in Queen Charlotte Sound, in 1773, Tawaihura a local chief told Cook of an enormous lizard and gave him a drawing of the beast. These giant lizards apparently lived in the trees and were greatly feared by the Maori. There were also reports however, given to the early European settlers of a 5-6 ft lizard which the Maori also hunt and ate. In 1875 a strange lizard like animal had been found in a flooded river in Hokianga. The local Maori, out of fear of the animal, hacked it to pieces. From the same area emerged the reported sighting of an 18 inch lizard, yellowish in colour which slid down into the water when discovered and was lost among the boulders of the Hokianga River. 1875 also saw Mr F.W Hutton present a paper “On a Supposed Rib of the Kumi”. The paper spoke of the discovery of a ramus of the lower jaw of a pleurodont lizard from the Ernscleugh Cave in Central Otago. The ramus seemed to give foundation to the at least sub-fossil existence of the Kumi lizard. In the same cave a vertebral rib that also appeared to be from the same animal was found. At the New Zealand Institute meeting of September 20th 1898 mention was made of a large, strange reptile allegedly seen near Gisborne. Furthermore, in September of that same year, in Arowhana, a bushman working on a station was confronted by a 5 ft long gigantic lizard which advanced toward him. The animal then subsequently fled into a Rata tree. Lysnar, the owner of the station where the animal was sighted, and a party of men went in search of the animal. They managed to photograph some footprints but did not come across the actual animal. Another large lizard mentioned is referred to as the Ngarar. It is described as being bigger than a Tuatara, about 2-3 feet in length, was said to burrow, had a serrated dorsal crest and had prominent teeth which caused the upper lip to slightly project forward. There was also a smaller species of this lizard measuring around 18 inches in length, reminiscent of the animal seen at the Hokianga River. The larger species of Ngarar preferred the Manuka scrub, while the smaller species was to be found around streams and easily took to the water. Whether or not megalania is still alive today is uncertain, but until a dead body, or perhaps a living one, is brought in we will forever find it in textbooks as an extinct animal of prehistoric times. But how truly wonderful it would be to witness the primal power of this great beast in the flesh, thriving deep within the Pacific jungles. Lets hope the day comes when Megalania will be more than just a fossil in a history book. Edited July 18, 2008 by Undeadskeptic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undeadskeptic Posted July 18, 2008 Author #2 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Thanks to Tony Lucas and Cryptozoology.com for their invaluable resources and information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzarkHowler Posted July 18, 2008 #3 Share Posted July 18, 2008 well a huge lizard like that would definitely stand out in the desert, so I'm gonna say no. Megalania is extinct as far as i am considered Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent. Mulder Posted July 18, 2008 #4 Share Posted July 18, 2008 anyone else think this could have played a hand in the dragon legends? i know it said it shoulda been gone around 40,000 years ago. but who knows. if a couple survived, i could see people exaggerating their encounters (as usual). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARAB0D Posted July 18, 2008 #5 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Megalania - The Killer Lizard During the middle of the day, a surveyor returned to his truck. Tired, he wanted nothing more than to go home. He spied what he thought was a fallen tree near his car. Blaming his fatigue for his lack of details he climbed in his car and slammed the door. The "log" suddenly bolted away! It ended up being a lizard of 15 feet in length. Australian cryptozoologist Rex Gilroy is convinced these creatures are still alive and it is only a matter of time before one is captured or killed and brought in. As recently as the late '70s there have been megalania sightings. In July 1979, Rex Gilroy was informed of footprints of the creature found in a recently plowed field. Across the field were 30 or so tracks from what looked like an enormous lizard. Rain had ruined most of the tracks but Gilroy was able to make a plaster cast of one that had been preserved. The footprint looked surprisingly like something that might have been made by a Megalania. Also in 1979 a sighting of megalania arose, this time by the best possible witness. Herpetologist Frank Gordon, after conducting some field work in the Wattagan Mountains in New South Wales, returned to his vehicle. After starting his engine he saw, what he at first thought was a log, scampering off. It ended up being a lizard of some 30 feet or more in length. Another incident includes a farmer who observed a gigantic lizard walking along one of his fields. It walked along a wire fence, so the farmer used a set of fence posts as a guide. His estimate of the beast was a length of twenty to twenty-five feet. The size corresponds with megalania. Megalania might not be constrained only to Australia--some sightings suggest it may live in New Guinea. A French priest in the 1960's was traveling up river with a native guide in order to reach his mission. During the trip he spotted a large lizard lying on a fallen tree in the sun. He told the native to stop, but being badly frightened, the native continued the journey. The priest returned to the spot the following morning and measured the tree. It was 40 feet long, yet the lizard almost matched it. The wilds of the New Zealand islands may also have a monstrous secret lurking within them. There are 90 species of lizards currently known in New Zealand. Most are not of any impressionable size and yet from Cooks first arrival in New Zealand, strange tales of large lizards have been passed down to fairly recent times. One of these lizards, the Kumi lizard, was apparently of impressive size. When Cook arrived in Queen Charlotte Sound, in 1773, Tawaihura a local chief told Cook of an enormous lizard and gave him a drawing of the beast. These giant lizards apparently lived in the trees and were greatly feared by the Maori. There were also reports however, given to the early European settlers of a 5-6 ft lizard which the Maori also hunt and ate. In 1875 a strange lizard like animal had been found in a flooded river in Hokianga. The local Maori, out of fear of the animal, hacked it to pieces. From the same area emerged the reported sighting of an 18 inch lizard, yellowish in colour which slid down into the water when discovered and was lost among the boulders of the Hokianga River. 1875 also saw Mr F.W Hutton present a paper “On a Supposed Rib of the Kumi”. The paper spoke of the discovery of a ramus of the lower jaw of a pleurodont lizard from the Ernscleugh Cave in Central Otago. The ramus seemed to give foundation to the at least sub-fossil existence of the Kumi lizard. In the same cave a vertebral rib that also appeared to be from the same animal was found. At the New Zealand Institute meeting of September 20th 1898 mention was made of a large, strange reptile allegedly seen near Gisborne. Furthermore, in September of that same year, in Arowhana, a bushman working on a station was confronted by a 5 ft long gigantic lizard which advanced toward him. The animal then subsequently fled into a Rata tree. Lysnar, the owner of the station where the animal was sighted, and a party of men went in search of the animal. They managed to photograph some footprints but did not come across the actual animal. Another large lizard mentioned is referred to as the Ngarar. It is described as being bigger than a Tuatara, about 2-3 feet in length, was said to burrow, had a serrated dorsal crest and had prominent teeth which caused the upper lip to slightly project forward. There was also a smaller species of this lizard measuring around 18 inches in length, reminiscent of the animal seen at the Hokianga River. Practically you can meet there a goana, which could be from 1 foot to 6-7 foot long. The big one, when you come close, has a habit to get upright and take a boxer's stand, this is a warning - if you ignore it in few sec the thing may be on your head already, scratching you all around with 1" fingernails They are pretty territorial, but the same time can come to cantine in the camp and beg for sausage, we had a few living around till one guy brought his 3-legged dog in. Goana is a monitor lizard, similar to commodo dragon (methinks), they can be pretty big too, like a small crocodile. I never heard about the dinosaur you described, but on the other hand I was working in the desert for only few months and totally was in Oz for 12 years. But a lot of aussies would tell you about a 10m long shrub python, which some people mistake for an overgrown carpet snake. The sightings of this one, afaik, were in Northern Queensland. Mostly people talk about the huge snake trails in the sand, not about meeting one face-to-face. 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Rosewin Posted July 18, 2008 #6 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Godzilla vs Megalania. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draconic chronicler Posted July 18, 2008 #7 Share Posted July 18, 2008 anyone else think this could have played a hand in the dragon legends? i know it said it shoulda been gone around 40,000 years ago. but who knows. if a couple survived, i could see people exaggerating their encounters (as usual). But the problem is that Megalania lived in Australia, while dragons are recorded in every corner of the world since the earliest times man wrote down what he saw. And the dragons often fly and even talk, and civilizations around the world considered them gods. I am not sure if I would automatically think "wise and benificient god" if I just saw a big lizard with a brain the size of a walnut, and not so sure ancient man would either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draconic chronicler Posted July 18, 2008 #8 Share Posted July 18, 2008 (edited) Practically you can meet there a goana, which could be from 1 foot to 6-7 foot long. The big one, when you come close, has a habit to get upright and take a boxer's stand, this is a warning - if you ignore it in few sec the thing may be on your head already, scratching you all around with 1" fingernails They are pretty territorial, but the same time can come to cantine in the camp and beg for sausage, we had a few living around till one guy brought his 3-legged dog in. Goana is a monitor lizard, similar to commodo dragon (methinks), they can be pretty big too, like a small crocodile. I never heard about the dinosaur you described, but on the other hand I was working in the desert for only few months and totally was in Oz for 12 years. But a lot of aussies would tell you about a 10m long shrub python, which some people mistake for an overgrown carpet snake. The sightings of this one, afaik, were in Northern Queensland. Mostly people talk about the huge snake trails in the sand, not about meeting one face-to-face. The megalania we are discussing is in fact a big Goanna/monitor and it is more closely related to Oz's biggest goanna called the Lace monitor. So technically, the Megalania did not really die out, but shrunk to a more practical size through evolution as all of the big megafauna prey gradually died out. The same thing happened to the Wooly Mammoth, ones that were isolated on islands with limited food evolved into pygmy versions. We might be able to recreate the giant Megalania though becasue its fossils are only 40,000 years old and could contain DNA and we could use Lace monitor or Komodo eggs. Having a lizard that could swallow a man would be pretty interesting. We could make a 'moat' for them on the mexican border to discourage illegal immigration. Edited July 18, 2008 by draconic chronicler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvy Posted July 18, 2008 #9 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Any possible relation with Indonesian komodo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undeadskeptic Posted July 18, 2008 Author #10 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Any possible relation with Indonesian komodo? Oddly enough, Megalania is not actually as closely related to the Komodo as you may think. It is more closely related to the puny Aussie Goanna Lizards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undeadskeptic Posted July 18, 2008 Author #11 Share Posted July 18, 2008 The megalania we are discussing is in fact a big Goanna/monitor and it is more closely related to Oz's biggest goanna called the Lace monitor. So technically, the Megalania did not really die out, but shrunk to a more practical size through evolution as all of the big megafauna prey gradually died out. The same thing happened to the Wooly Mammoth, ones that were isolated on islands with limited food evolved into pygmy versions. We might be able to recreate the giant Megalania though becasue its fossils are only 40,000 years old and could contain DNA and we could use Lace monitor or Komodo eggs. Having a lizard that could swallow a man would be pretty interesting. We could make a 'moat' for them on the mexican border to discourage illegal immigration. "Senor, the guard have badly wounded me. Take my son, he shall live free in, *cough*, America! I will always love you son." "Don't worry kid, I'm taking good care of you now. I've done this plenty of times. Ya just cross over this moat and - ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isis-999 Posted July 18, 2008 #12 Share Posted July 18, 2008 I have alot of friends in the outback and so far no one has gone missing.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undeadskeptic Posted July 18, 2008 Author #13 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Victorian Reports Giant reptilian monsters in the Australian bush were known even to our early European settlers and have been discussed around countless outback campfires for generations. Accurate descriptions of them can be found in Aboriginal myths and legends dating back untold thousands of years. These reptiles have been claimed seen in every mainland Australian state, and are also referred in ancient Tasmanian Aboriginal folklore. Early European settlers claimed to have had numerous encounters with these monsters, and the sighting of one near any bush town was likely to create a wave of terror among the populace. 1890's - 30 Feet in Length A good example of this can be seen in one famous case which took place during 1890, when a huge reptile, 30 feet in length, instituted a brief reign of terror among the inhabitants of the village of Euroa, Victoria. It tramped its way across properties, leaving behind its gigantic footprints to confirm its awesome size. It was described as a monstrous goanna by those who had happened to see it roaming the bush. A search party of forty men was formed. Armed with nets and guns, and with cattle dogs to the fore, they ventured off into the surrounding bushland in an attempt to trap the fearsome reptile; but it just disappeared or moved on to another area, never to be seen again in the Euroa district. Euroa, Victoria 1978 During the first few months of 1978, the town of Mallacoota, situated on the coast just inside the Victorian border with New South Wales, was gripped by 'lizard fever'. A female motorist claimed to have seen a 20 foot-long goanna one afternoon on a road outside the town on the edge of scrub. This and other claims soon attracted the media, including the Channel 9 network's “A Current Affair” whose journalists, as was to be expected, made light comedy relief of the matter. One incident the journalists could not make into light entertainment was the case earlier this century of a local man who was said to have been killed and eaten by two of these lizard monsters on a property out of town. Searchers later found what was left of him in nearby scrub. Euroa, Victoria 1981 -1986 This state has been the scene of a number of more recent giant lizard reports, such as Mr Ian Hay's 'close encounter' in January 1981. Mr Hay was rabbit-shooting with a .22 rifle near the town of Bright, situated east of Wangaratta on the Ovens River. As he stood on the river-bank on this particular day, he spotted a large 'log' about 85 yards away further down the river-bank-at least he thought it was a log, greyish-brown in colour. He walked away for a few minutes, but by the time he returned, the 'log' had gone. The 'log' was 15 feet in length. A young couple told a similar story of what they saw on that same river a few years later in 1986. Across the river they could see, half hidden by grass, a large 'log', but took no further notice of it-that is, until it suddenly rose up and began walking away into dense scrub! They later described the creature as being around 25 feet in length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent. Mulder Posted July 18, 2008 #14 Share Posted July 18, 2008 But the problem is that Megalania lived in Australia, while dragons are recorded in every corner of the world since the earliest times man wrote down what he saw. And the dragons often fly and even talk, and civilizations around the world considered them gods. I am not sure if I would automatically think "wise and benificient god" if I just saw a big lizard with a brain the size of a walnut, and not so sure ancient man would either. i know that. thx for the history lesson. i was just stating this could have been One of the Few ways the dragon legends got started. and yes, ancient man Would think that. because look at ALL the gods theyve already come up with over time. many of them animal related. so really, it makes perfect sense. plus people werent too bright back (but some were), so they would believe Anything that was told to them basically. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravergirl Posted July 18, 2008 #15 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Steve Irwin would have told us about this. This is not real. A giant monstah, roight in moi own bak yahd. Tha lahgest lizahd aloive tahday and look wot 'e does when I stick me 'ead roight in 'is mouth, croikey 'is breath....woah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incorrigible1 Posted July 18, 2008 #16 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Steve Irwin would have told us about this. This is not real. A giant monstah, roight in moi own bak yahd. Tha lahgest lizahd aloive tahday and look wot 'e does when I stick me 'ead roight in 'is mouth, croikey 'is breath....woah. You owe me a new keyboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravergirl Posted July 18, 2008 #17 Share Posted July 18, 2008 You owe me a new keyboard! did you spit up in it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oderint Posted July 18, 2008 #18 Share Posted July 18, 2008 Steve Irwin would have told us about this. This is not real. A giant monstah, roight in moi own bak yahd. Tha lahgest lizahd aloive tahday and look wot 'e does when I stick me 'ead roight in 'is mouth, croikey 'is breath....woah. That is officially the Post of the Month on topic: I doubt lizards like that can remain unseen, specially now with tourism, satelites and all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draconic chronicler Posted July 18, 2008 #19 Share Posted July 18, 2008 That is officially the Post of the Month on topic: I doubt lizards like that can remain unseen, specially now with tourism, satelites and all that. These creatures are camouflaged to look like the terrain. I doubt you would ever notice one with a satellite, even 30 feet long. There aren't many touristsdeep in the outback, there aren't that many roads for them to drive on for that matter. A place where they might be discovered if still around are in the gold fields where there are a lot of people in very remote locations. It would be interesting to see if many of these gold hunters ever turn up missing. It is possible many never tell where they are going and some could be eaten by giant lizards and no one would ever now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oderint Posted July 19, 2008 #20 Share Posted July 19, 2008 These creatures are camouflaged to look like the terrain. I doubt you would ever notice one with a satellite, even 30 feet long. There aren't many touristsdeep in the outback, there aren't that many roads for them to drive on for that matter. A place where they might be discovered if still around are in the gold fields where there are a lot of people in very remote locations. It would be interesting to see if many of these gold hunters ever turn up missing. It is possible many never tell where they are going and some could be eaten by giant lizards and no one would ever now. Those were examples, another example would be the spreadth of mobile phones with cameras and of digital cameras as well. Plus I know 4 different groups who have travelled to the outback in australia, so it can't be that uncommon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Undeadskeptic Posted July 23, 2008 Author #21 Share Posted July 23, 2008 (edited) Those were examples, another example would be the spreadth of mobile phones with cameras and of digital cameras as well. Plus I know 4 different groups who have travelled to the outback in australia, so it can't be that uncommon. I agree with Draconic Chronicler. It realy doesn't mean anything that you know 4 groups who travelled to the Outback. They probably did not go very far into the most untamed and wild of its depths and I doubt they would have seen any extremely rar animals, let alone ones that, like Megalania would havt to have, exist in ridiculously low numbers. Also, like all lizards Megalania is master of disguise, based on what we see in related lizards, the huge Komodo's can keep still in the shrubbery and be overlooked by even the sharpest of eyes. Many Aussie Giant Lizard reports concern animals at first mistaken for logs. Furthermore, you have used huge concepts (Mobile Phones? Cameras?) but not specified how on earth they relate to Megalania's continued existence. Furthermore, furthermore, you have ignored the New Guinea and New Zealand accounts. NZ's giant lizard (If it existed) would probably be extinct be now, but the New Guinea jungles undoubtedly hold many a zoological suprise given it's size and unexplored... ness. Edited July 23, 2008 by Undeadskeptic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red-star Posted July 23, 2008 #22 Share Posted July 23, 2008 autralia is a big place, tourists ( i doubt) wouldnt know here to look for this creature if it was alive, civilation and the big cities are mostly centered around the coast, so theres alot of uninhabited land out there, i suppose a creatures this big may have been spotted if it existed but there numbers could be scarce, or like dc said it could be very good conceciling itself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
draconic chronicler Posted July 23, 2008 #23 Share Posted July 23, 2008 autralia is a big place, tourists ( i doubt) wouldnt know here to look for this creature if it was alive, civilation and the big cities are mostly centered around the coast, so theres alot of uninhabited land out there, i suppose a creatures this big may have been spotted if it existed but there numbers could be scarce, or like dc said it could be very good conceciling itself... They actually HAVE been spotted, by real scientists who specialize in reptiles, no less (Herpetologists). No did 'they' truly see a prehistoric Meg, or were these just exceptionally large Lace monitors, just as we sometimes encounter really large crocs (or even giant people). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samael Posted July 23, 2008 #24 Share Posted July 23, 2008 This seems fairly plausible. The central parts of Australia are extremely inhospitable and very rarely visited by humans. Also, as draconic chronicler said (), they would have been quite well camouflaged and easy to miss if you weren't looking for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookietim Posted July 23, 2008 #25 Share Posted July 23, 2008 It would be cool if it were still alive, but something tells me that it might be wishful thinking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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