Australia: The Land Where Time Began

Komodo Dragons Varanus komodoensis

The Komodo Dragon is the largest living lizard, and is found only on some eastern Indonesian islands such as Komodo and Flores, where it is the top predator. It has been believed that they evolved in the islands where it now lives, and has lived for more than 1 million years. But this is now in doubt because fossils have been found at 3 locations in Queensland that are identical to those of Komodo dragons. It is now known that V. komodoensis had arose in Australia, being present in that continent for about 4 million years, possibly dispersing to the Indonesian islands about 900,000 years ago.

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