Re: Megalania question - DNA

[Dann Pigdon <dannj@alphalink.com.au>]

hammeris1@bellsouth.net writes: 

> As I don't have access to the latest/greatest on this particular lizard (the four books I have that reference it at all state its size as either twice or four times that of a Komodo dragon)

More recent estimates put an adult Megalania at around 4.5m long and between 
300 to 400kg in weight.
http://www.bio.usyd.edu.au/staff/swroe/Wroe2002review.pdf 

> I wanted to know what the most recent age on any bones for this beastie is?
> If some remains have been found deep in some Australian cave, non-fossilized, 
> could viable DNA be extracted?  40,000 to 25,000 yrs back seems to me a 
> reasonable time for this.

As far as I'm aware, no Megalania bones have been found in cave deposits. 
Most of the known fossils are fairly fragmentary and often badly weathered. 

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Dann Pigdon
GIS / Archaeologist              http://geo_cities.com/dannsdinosaurs
Melbourne, Australia             http://heretichides.soffiles.com
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