Earliest example of a giant monitor lizard (Varanus, Varanidae, Squamata).

<h4>Background</h4>Varanidae is a clade of tiny (<20 mm pre-caudal length [PCL]) to giant (>600 mm PCL) lizards first appearing in the Cretaceous. True monitor lizards (Varanus) are known from diagnostic remains beginning in the early Miocene (Varanus rusingensis), although extreme...

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Autores principales:	Jack L Conrad, Ana M Balcarcel, Carl M Mehling
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2012
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/92a1da315327432ea9641ffd8b3217ab
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:92a1da315327432ea9641ffd8b3217ab2021-11-18T07:09:11ZEarliest example of a giant monitor lizard (Varanus, Varanidae, Squamata).1932-620310.1371/journal.pone.0041767https://doaj.org/article/92a1da315327432ea9641ffd8b3217ab2012-01-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/22900001/pdf/?tool=EBIhttps://doaj.org/toc/1932-6203<h4>Background</h4>Varanidae is a clade of tiny (<20 mm pre-caudal length [PCL]) to giant (>600 mm PCL) lizards first appearing in the Cretaceous. True monitor lizards (Varanus) are known from diagnostic remains beginning in the early Miocene (Varanus rusingensis), although extremely fragmentary remains have been suggested as indicating earlier Varanus. The paleobiogeographic history of Varanus and timing for origin of its gigantism remain uncertain.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>A new Varanus from the Mytilini Formation (Turolian, Miocene) of Samos, Greece is described. The holotype consists of a partial skull roof, right side of a braincase, partial posterior mandible, fragment of clavicle, and parts of six vertebrae. A cladistic analysis including 83 taxa coded for 5733 molecular and 489 morphological characters (71 previously unincluded) demonstrates that the new fossil is a nested member of an otherwise exclusively East Asian Varanus clade. The new species is the earliest-known giant (>600 mm PCL) terrestrial lizard. Importantly, this species co-existed with a diverse continental mammalian fauna.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>The new monitor is larger (longer) than 99% of known fossil and living lizards. Varanus includes, by far, the largest limbed squamates today. The only extant non-snake squamates that approach monitors in maximum size are the glass-snake Pseudopus and the worm-lizard Amphisbaena. Mosasauroids were larger, but exclusively marine, and occurred only during the Late Cretaceous. Large, extant, non-Varanus, lizards are limbless and/or largely isolated from mammalian competitors. By contrast, our new Varanus achieved gigantism in a continental environment populated by diverse eutherian mammal competitors.Jack L ConradAna M BalcarcelCarl M MehlingPublic Library of Science (PLoS)articleMedicineRScienceQENPLoS ONE, Vol 7, Iss 8, p e41767 (2012)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Jack L Conrad Ana M Balcarcel Carl M Mehling Earliest example of a giant monitor lizard (Varanus, Varanidae, Squamata).
description	<h4>Background</h4>Varanidae is a clade of tiny (<20 mm pre-caudal length [PCL]) to giant (>600 mm PCL) lizards first appearing in the Cretaceous. True monitor lizards (Varanus) are known from diagnostic remains beginning in the early Miocene (Varanus rusingensis), although extremely fragmentary remains have been suggested as indicating earlier Varanus. The paleobiogeographic history of Varanus and timing for origin of its gigantism remain uncertain.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>A new Varanus from the Mytilini Formation (Turolian, Miocene) of Samos, Greece is described. The holotype consists of a partial skull roof, right side of a braincase, partial posterior mandible, fragment of clavicle, and parts of six vertebrae. A cladistic analysis including 83 taxa coded for 5733 molecular and 489 morphological characters (71 previously unincluded) demonstrates that the new fossil is a nested member of an otherwise exclusively East Asian Varanus clade. The new species is the earliest-known giant (>600 mm PCL) terrestrial lizard. Importantly, this species co-existed with a diverse continental mammalian fauna.<h4>Conclusions/significance</h4>The new monitor is larger (longer) than 99% of known fossil and living lizards. Varanus includes, by far, the largest limbed squamates today. The only extant non-snake squamates that approach monitors in maximum size are the glass-snake Pseudopus and the worm-lizard Amphisbaena. Mosasauroids were larger, but exclusively marine, and occurred only during the Late Cretaceous. Large, extant, non-Varanus, lizards are limbless and/or largely isolated from mammalian competitors. By contrast, our new Varanus achieved gigantism in a continental environment populated by diverse eutherian mammal competitors.
format	article
author	Jack L Conrad Ana M Balcarcel Carl M Mehling
author_facet	Jack L Conrad Ana M Balcarcel Carl M Mehling
author_sort	Jack L Conrad
title	Earliest example of a giant monitor lizard (Varanus, Varanidae, Squamata).
title_short	Earliest example of a giant monitor lizard (Varanus, Varanidae, Squamata).
title_full	Earliest example of a giant monitor lizard (Varanus, Varanidae, Squamata).
title_fullStr	Earliest example of a giant monitor lizard (Varanus, Varanidae, Squamata).
title_full_unstemmed	Earliest example of a giant monitor lizard (Varanus, Varanidae, Squamata).
title_sort	earliest example of a giant monitor lizard (varanus, varanidae, squamata).
publisher	Public Library of Science (PLoS)
publishDate	2012
url	https://doaj.org/article/92a1da315327432ea9641ffd8b3217ab
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Earliest example of a giant monitor lizard (Varanus, Varanidae, Squamata).

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