List of largest extinct

lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

s which are members of the order

Squamata Squamata (, Latin ''squamatus'', 'scaly, having scales') is the largest Order (biology), order of reptiles; most members of which are commonly known as Lizard, lizards, with the group also including Snake, snakes. With over 11,991 species, it i ...

List

Geckos (Gekkota)

Gecko de Delcourt Hoplodactylus delcourti Hoplodactylus delcourti GLAM MHNL 2016

*An extinct member of family

Diplodactylidae The Diplodactylidae are a Family (biology), family in the suborder Gekkota (geckos), with over 150 species in 25 Genus, genera. These geckos occur in Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia. Diplodactylids are the most ecologically diverse and ...

Kawekaweau ''Gigarcanum delcourti'', formerly ''Hoplodactylus delcourti'', commonly known as Delcourt’s giant gecko, is an extinct species of gecko in the Family (biology), family Diplodactylidae. It is List of largest extant lizards, the largest known of ...

or Delcourt's giant

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...

(''Gigarcanum delcourti''), the largest gecko of all time. It had a snout-vent length of 37 cm (14.6 in), a total length of 60 cm (23.6 in). and a mass of . *Some members of genus ''

Phelsuma ''Phelsuma'' is a large genus of geckos in the Family (biology), family Gekkonidae. Species in the genus ''Phelsuma'' are commonly referred to as day geckos. Some day geckos are seriously endangered and some are common, but all ''Phelsuma'' spec ...

'' are among the largest of extant geckos (see

list of largest extant lizards A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...

). However, the extinct

Rodrigues giant day gecko The Rodrigues giant day gecko (''Phelsuma gigas'') is an extinct species of day gecko. It lived on the island of Rodrigues and surrounding islands and typically dwelt on trees. The Rodrigues giant day gecko fed on insects and nectar, and, unlike ...

(''Phelsuma gigas'') was the largest day gecko and second-largest of all geckos (after the

kawekaweau ''Gigarcanum delcourti'', formerly ''Hoplodactylus delcourti'', commonly known as Delcourt’s giant gecko, is an extinct species of gecko in the Family (biology), family Diplodactylidae. It is List of largest extant lizards, the largest known of ...

), with a length of up to 40 cm (15.74 in) and possibly even 44 cm (17.3 in), and body mass 193.43 g (6.8 oz).

Iguanas (Iguanidae)

*The extant members of genus ''

Brachylophus The genus ''Brachylophus'' consists of four Extant taxon, extant iguanid species native to the islands of Fiji and a giant extinct species from Tonga in the South West Pacific. One of the extant species, ''B. fasciatus'', is also present on Tong ...

'' are

iguanas ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described by Austrian naturalist J.N. Laurenti in 1768. Two species are plac ...

small and medium-sized, growing a length of . Although, in the past there was a much larger member of this family – ''

Brachylophus gibbonsi ''Brachylophus gibbonsi'' is an extinct species of large (~1.2 m long) iguanid lizard from Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean. Its remains have been found associated with cultural sites on Lifuka, four other islands in the Haʻapai group, and To ...

'', reached in length of , and thus, was 1.8 times longer than its modern relatives. Another very large

extinct Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

iguanid The Iguanidae is a family of lizards composed of the iguanas, chuckwallas, and their prehistoric relatives, including the widespread green iguana. Taxonomy Iguanidae is thought to be the sister group to the collared lizards (family Crotaphy ...

, reached even larger – '' Lapitiguana impensa'' which had a length of 1.5 m (4.91 ft).

True lizards (Lacertidae)

*The largest ever lived

lacertid The Lacertidae are the family of the wall lizards, true lizards, or sometimes simply lacertas, which are native to Afro-Eurasia. It is a diverse family with at about 360 species in 39 genera. They represent the dominant group of reptiles found i ...

, the goliath Tenefire lizard (''Gallotia goliath'') reached the length of .

Marine lizards (Mosasauridae)

*The largest

mosasaurs Mosasaurs (from Latin ''Mosa'' meaning the 'Meuse', and Greek ' meaning 'lizard') are an extinct group of large aquatic reptiles within the family Mosasauridae that lived during the Late Cretaceous. Their first fossil remains were discovered in ...

were ''

Mosasaurus ''Mosasaurus'' (; "lizard of the Meuse (river), Meuse River") is the type genus (defining example) of the mosasaurs, an extinct group of aquatic Squamata, squamate reptiles. It lived from about 82 to 66 million years ago during the Campanian an ...

'' and ''

Tylosaurus ''Tylosaurus'' (; "knob lizard") is a genus of Russellosaurina, russellosaurine mosasaur (an extinct group of predatory marine Squamata, lizards) that lived about 92 to 66 million years ago during the Turonian to Maastrichtian stages of the Late ...

'' species, which grew to around and were projected to weigh up to .Science & Nature – Sea Monsters – Fact File: Giant Mosasaur
BBC (2005-08-26)

Skinks (Scincidae)

*The Cape Verde giant skink (''

Chioninia coctei The Cape Verde giant skink (''Chioninia coctei''), also called Bibron's skink, Cocteau's skink, and ''lagarto'' in Cape Verdean Portuguese, is a recently extinct species of large lizard (skink) that was endemic to some of the Barlavento Islands o ...

'') was a very large

skink Skinks are a type of lizard belonging to the family (biology), family Scincidae, a family in the Taxonomic rank, infraorder Scincomorpha. With more than 1,500 described species across 100 different taxonomic genera, the family Scincidae is one o ...

that grew up to a snout-vent length of and in a total length. *Another very large extinct skink is the

Mauritian giant skink The Mauritian giant skink (''Leiolopisma mauritiana'') is a large, extinct species of skink It was found only in Mauritius. It became extinct sometime in the 17th century, likely due to human-introduced predators. Taxonomy The Réunion giant ...

(''Leiolopisma mauritiana'') which is the largest skink so far discovered; it grew to a snout-vent length of with a total length of , and according to some information up to

Monitor lizards (Varanidae)

*The prehistoric Australian

megalania Megalania (''Varanus priscus'') is an extinct species of giant monitor lizard, part of the megafaunal assemblage that inhabited Australia during the Pleistocene. It is the largest terrestrial lizard known to have existed, but the fragmentary na ...

(''Varanus priscus''), which may have existed up to 40,000 years ago, is the largest

varanid The Varanidae are a family of lizards in the superfamily Varanoidea and order Anguimorpha. The family, a group of carnivorous and frugivorous lizards, includes the living genus '' Varanus'' and a number of extinct genera more closely related ...

and the largest terrestrial lizard known to exist, but the lack of a complete skeleton has resulted in a wide range of size estimates. Molnar's 2004 assessment resulted in an average weight of and length of , and a maximum of at in length, which is toward the high end of the early estimates. However, a 2009 study estimated megalania at 5.5 m (18 ft) and 575 kg (1,268 lb). *Some prehistoric non-varanoid anguimorphs approached varanid sizes. ''

Palaeosaniwa ''Palaeosaniwa canadensis'' is an extinct species of carnivorous lizard from the late Cretaceous of North America. The name, given by Charles Whitney Gilmore in 1928, means "ancient ''Saniwa'' from Canada". Description ''Palaeosaniwa'' is amo ...

'' was roughly comparable to a large monitor lizard (

Varanidae The Varanidae are a family of lizards in the superfamily Varanoidea and order Anguimorpha. The family, a group of carnivorous and frugivorous lizards, includes the living genus '' Varanus'' and a number of extinct genera more closely related ...

) in size. Measuring around in length, it is among the largest terrestrial lizards known from the Mesozoic era. Later study shows estimation with

snout–vent length Snout–vent length (SVL) is a morphometric measurement taken in herpetology from the tip of the snout to the most posterior opening of the cloacal slit (vent)."direct line distance from tip of snout to posterior margin of vent" It is the mos ...

about for

Maastrichtian The Maastrichtian ( ) is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) geologic timescale, the latest age (geology), age (uppermost stage (stratigraphy), stage) of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or Upper Cretaceous series (s ...

species. ''

Asprosaurus ''Asprosaurus'' () is an extinct genus of anguimorph lizard from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of South Korea. The genus contains a monotypic taxon, single species, ''A. bibongriensis'', which is the first Mesozoic lizard to have been discovere ...

'' may compete with ''Palaeosaniwa'' in size.The first lizard fossil (Reptilia: Squamata) from the Mesozoic of South Korea. ''Cretaceous Research'' 55:292–302. - J.-Y. Park, S. E. Evans & M. Huh - 2015. Another large Mesozoic lizard was '' Chianghsia'', with snout-vent length of over .

References

{{Reflist

Lizards Lizard is the common name used for all squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The ...

*Largest