Archaeovaranus

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Archaeovaranus, meaning “ancient Varanus,” is a genus of early monitor lizard from the Ypresian stage of the early Eocene (about 53 million years ago) found in the Yuhuangding Formation in Hubei Province, China. It contains a single species, Archaeovaranus lii. The holotype skull (IVPP V 22770) was discovered at the Dajian locality near Danjiangkou and is known from a nearly complete skeleton, though the bones were found disarticulated. The fossil shows an adult about 16 years old, but the limb bones (humerus and femur) were not yet fused, indicating the animal was still growing. Archaeovaranus was about the size of a modern Varanus salvator (the Asian water monitor). It is the closest known relative of living monitor lizards and represents an early, or stem, member of the Varanidae in East Asia, helping fill a gap in the varanid fossil record. The species name lii honors paleontologist Chuankui Li.