Oldest known Varanus (Squamata: Varanidae) from the Upper Eocene and Lower Oligocene of Egypt: support for an African origin of the genus

:  A large collection of lizard vertebrae from northern Africa represents the oldest unambiguous occurrence of the genus Varanus. The fossils come from late Eocene and early Oligocene freshwater deposits of the Fayum, Egypt, an area noted for many significant primate finds. The recovery and identifi...

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Published inPalaeontology Vol. 53; no. 5; pp. 1099 - 1110
Main Authors HOLMES, ROBERT B., MURRAY, ALISON M., ATTIA, YOUSRY S., SIMONS, ELWYN L., CHATRATH, PRITHIJIT
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.09.2010
Subjects
African origins
Eocene–Oligocene
Paleontology
Varanoidea
Varanus
Varanus palaeobiogeography
Africa
Egypt, Arab Rep
Australia
Eurasia
Asia
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Summary::  A large collection of lizard vertebrae from northern Africa represents the oldest unambiguous occurrence of the genus Varanus. The fossils come from late Eocene and early Oligocene freshwater deposits of the Fayum, Egypt, an area noted for many significant primate finds. The recovery and identification of this material indicate that the genus Varanus arose in Africa, before dispersing to Australia and Asia. This dispersal occurred prior to the early to mid‐Miocene, by which time fossil Varanus are known from Australia and Eurasia. Although the dispersal route remains unknown, the lizard material reported here supports the hypothesis that a corridor existed allowing freshwater and terrestrial organisms to cross from Africa to Asia.
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ISSN:0031-0239
1475-4983
DOI:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2010.00994.x