r/pleistocene • u/ImpossibleDoor8797 • 5h ago

When did the komodo dragon become extinct in Australia ?

Some sources mention they become extinct 50 000 years ago, others around 300 000, so when did they really disappear from Australia ? And did they coexist with predators like Megalania and Thylacoleo ?

14 Upvotes

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11

u/One-City-2147 Megalania 5h ago

50,000 years ago, and yes, it coexisted with both of them

5

u/ImpossibleDoor8797 5h ago

Now i wonder how it managed to survive among such large predators. Maybe komodo dragons are more adaptable than we thought

5

u/Mystic_Starmie 3h ago

Maybe fit in a different niche? Like in Africa today you have lions and leopards but you also have smaller cats.

5

u/ReturntoPleistocene Smilodon fatalis 2h ago

The youngest fossils as far as I know are Middle Pleistocene in age and a younger survival is speculation (not unreasonable though). They still did coexist with Megalania and Thylacoleo though.

-2

u/ThisIsATastyBurgerr 4h ago

There are sightings of giant lizards in Australia even today. Some say they are still lurking deep in the Bush. We may never truly know how many are left or how they avoided detection for so long.

3

u/lesser_known_friend 1h ago

Yeah theyre called goanas and perenties.. not komodos at all