Paleontologists have unearthed a remarkably complete skeleton of a 12-million-year-old monitor lizard in the Narmada River basin. This prehistoric predator, an ancestor of the modern Komodo dragon, measured over 5 meters in length and lived in the lush tropical forests that once covered Central India.
The fossil provides critical data on the Cenozoic biodiversity of the Indian subcontinent. Scientists believe that this species represents a 'missing link' in lizard evolution, showing how early varanids migrated across the Asian landmass as the Himalayas continued to rise.