Discovering the Enormous Prehistoric Skink: A Bizarre and Mega Chonk Lizard.
Researchers have identified a new species of ancient lizard, Tiliqua frangens, which lived in Australia from approximately 2 million years ago to around 47,000 years ago. The lizard grew up to 60 centimeters in length and weighed up to 2.4 kilograms, making it one of the largest lizards ever found. It had thick, spikey armor that served as plating to protect it from predators. The ancient skink most closely resembles the blue-tongued skink and ate plants. The researchers suggest that its size and plating allowed it to forage in the open during daylight hours.