Description

The Giant Goanna (Varanus priscus) was an enormous monitor lizard belonging to the same genus as today’s Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis). Estimates suggest that adults could reach lengths of 5 to 7 meters, stand roughly 1.5 meters tall, and weigh between 300–600 kilograms, with some outliers possibly exceeding a metric ton. Its heavy, muscular body, powerful limbs, and long, tapering tail made it an ambush hunter capable of short bursts of speed.

Its skin, covered in robust scales, likely ranged from dark gray to mottled brown, providing camouflage in dry scrublands and eucalyptus forests. The skull was elongated, with recurved, serrated teeth designed for tearing flesh. As with modern monitor lizards, it may have possessed mildly venomous saliva that weakened prey through infection and blood loss. Varanus priscus shared its world with marsupial megafauna such as Diprotodon, Procoptodon, and Thylacoleo carnifex, preying upon smaller herbivores and scavenging the kills of others.

Ecologically, the giant goanna was a top predator that shaped Australia’s late Pleistocene ecosystems. Its decline, approximately 50,000 years ago, coincides with both environmental shifts and the arrival of early Aboriginal peoples. This overlap has long fueled speculation that humans may have witnessed—and even hunted—this reptilian giant.