News in Brief Paleontology

Lizard king thrived in ancient warm climate

The herbivorous reptile of 40 million years ago was around 2 meters long

LIZARD KING  The giant lizard Barbaturex morrisoni (shown in an artist's conception) was an herbivore that lived in Southeast Asia 36 to 40 million years ago.

© Angie Fox/Nebraska State Museum of Natural History/Univ. of Nebraska-Lincoln

By Cristy Gelling

- More than 2 years ago

A giant plant-eating lizard that lived 36 to 40 million years ago might have had a warm climate to thank for its impressive size, paleontologists say.