![\"Komodo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/komodo-dragon-thessaloniki-credit-amna-2.jpg\")
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Unique conditions within the sediments prevented the bones from being fully destroyed. Credit: AMNA<\/p>\n
Fossil evidence confirms that a gigantic reptile, a monitor lizard similar to the modern Komodo Dragon<\/a>, lived approximately four million years ago in the area of Megalo Embolo near Thessaloniki.<\/p>\n This significant paleontological discovery and identification were made as part of a recent study by postgraduate student Hara Drakopoulou, whose work was supervised by a team of experts, including George Lazaridis of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.<\/p>\n Thessaloniki\u2019s Komodo Dragon relative: A first for the region<\/p>\n The site has been under systematic investigation by the AUTh Geology Department for decades. Credit: AMNA<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the first presence of this species for this specific location and this particular time period,\u201d noted Lazaridis, speaking to the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.<\/p>\n Lazaridis explained that the Megalo Embolo site has been under systematic investigation by the AUTh Geology Department for decades, yielding numerous fossils now housed in the department\u2019s museum. The site is especially rare because its findings date back to the Pliocene geological epoch, specifically ranging from 4.2 to 3.2 million years ago, representing a unique snapshot of ancient fauna.<\/p>\n Drakopoulou\u2019s postgraduate thesis successfully identified the fossils that Lazaridis had initially unearthed a decade ago. The importance of the find lies in the excellent preservation of the reptile bones and the fact that it is the first recorded instance of this type of giant monitor lizard<\/a> in Megalo Embolo.<\/p>\n Evidence of a different climate<\/p>\n The findings date back to the Pliocene geological epoch, specifically ranging from 4.2 to 3.2 million years ago. Credit: AMNA<\/p>\n According to Lazaridis, the concentration of well-preserved fossils at Megalo Embolo suggests that unique conditions within the sediments prevented the bones from being fully destroyed.<\/p>\n The ongoing scientific excavation, supervised by Professor Kostopoulos, has unearthed a diverse collection of fossils from the area, including:<\/p>\n Numerous other reptiles, such as giant tortoises and snakes. \u201cThese animals live in completely different climates today, which indicates that the climate at that time was entirely different, likely warmer and with different environmental conditions,\u201d Lazaridis concluded, emphasizing the site\u2019s value in reconstructing Greece<\/a>\u2019s deep history.<\/p>\n![\"Komodo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/komodo-dragon-thessaloniki-credit-amna.jpg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Komodo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/komodo-dragon-thessaloniki-credit-amna-3.jpg\"\/)
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\nMammals, including primitive forms of horses (Hipparion).
\nCarnivores, mastodons, and rhinoceroses\u2014species that are now extinct in the Greek region.<\/p>\n